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THE  LIBRARY 
OF       - 
THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 


COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


t'-'^/^^ 


AX  ELECTRIFIEn  TIGER— Page  310. 

Frontispiece. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

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THE 


BATTERY  A¥D  THE  BOILER 


OR 


ADVENTURES  IN  THE  LAYING  OF  SUBMARINE 
ELECTRIC  CABLES. 


BY   R   M.   BALLANTYNE, 

AUTHOR  OF    ''THE    GIANT   OF   THE    NORTH;"    "THE    LONELY    ISLAND;"    "  PORT  HASTE;    A 

TALE  OF  HER  MAJESTY'S  MAILS  ;"    "  IN  THE  TRACK  OF  THE   TROOPS  ;"    "THE   SETTLER 

AND  THE  SAVAGE  ;"   "  UNDER  THE  WAVES;  "    "  RIVERS  OF  ICE  ;"    "  BLACK  IVORY  ;" 

"the  PIRATE  CITY  ;"  "THE  NORSEMEN  IN  THE  WEST  ;"    "  THE  IRON  HORSE  ;" 

"the    FLOATING    LIGHT    OF    THE    GOODWIN    SANDS;"      "  EBLING    THE 

bold;"    "fighting  THE  flames  ;"    "SHIFTING  WINDS  ;"    "DEEP 

DOWN;"  "the  lighthouse;"  "  gascoyne  ;"  "the 
LIFE  boat  ;"  "the  golden  dream,"  etc. 


Wiith  illusttations  bg  the  Jlxttlvor. 

NEW  YORK: 
THOMAS   NELSON  &   SONS, 

No.  33  EAST  17th  STREET  (UNION  SQUARE). 


PREFACE. 

This  book  professes  to  do  no  more  than 
scratch  the  surface  of  a  grand  and  interesting 
subject.  It  recounts  a  few  of  the  adventures 
and  experiences  of  those  who  compass  land 
and  sea  in  order  to  connect  the  ends  of  the 
earth  by  means  of  electric  lines  and  cables. 

R  M.  B. 

Harrow-on-the-Hill, 
1882. 


io-2G278 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
CHAP.     I. — IN    WHICH    THE    HERO   MAKES   HIS   FIRST  FLASH   AND 

EXPLOSION, 1 

n. — REFERS  TO  A  NOTABLE  CHARACTER,      ....  8 

III. — EARLY  ASPIRATIONS, 17 

IV. — EXTRAORDINARY  RESULT  OF  AN  ATTEMPT  AT  AMATEUR 

CABLE-LAYING, 22 

v.— PROSPECTS  OF  REAL  CABLE-LAYING— ROBIN  MEETS  WITH 

HIS  FIRST  ELECTRICAL  ACQUAINTANCES,    ...  31 

VI. — TELLS  OF  OUR  HERO'S  VISIT  TO  THE  GREAT  CABLE,           .  51 

VII. — THE  BIG  SHIP— FIRST  NIGHT  ABOARD,             ...  63 
VIIL — LAYING  THE   CABLE — "FAULTS"   AND   FAULT-FINDING 

— ANXIETIES,  ACCIDENTS,  AND  OTHER  MATTERS,        .  74 
IX.— IN  WHICH  JOYS,  HOPES,  ALARMS,    GHOSTS,  AND  LEVIA- 
THANS TAKE  PART, 86 

X. — TELLS  OF  GREAT   EFFORTS   AND   FAILURES  AND  GRAND 

SUCCESS 102 

XL— home! 119 

XII.— A  GREAT  DYNAMO-ELECTRIC  SEA-FIGHT,         .                       .  125 

XIIL — TELLS  OP  A  SUDDEN  AND  UNLOOKED-FOR  EVENT,             .  135 

XIV.— THE  RAFT, 147 

XV.— LIFE  ON  THE  RAFT, 160 

XVI.  —IN  WHICH  WILL  BE  FOUND  MORE  SURPRISES  THAN  ONE,  170 
XVIL —STRANGE  DISCOVERIES  ON  PIRATE  ISLAND,  .           .           .187 

XVIII.— the' pirate's  ishA^n— continued,     ....  206 

XIX. — AN  EXPLORATION  AND  AN  ACCIDENT,  .           .           .            .  225 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
CHAP.  XX. — VAEIOUS  SUBJECTS   TREATED  OF,  AND  A  GRKAT   FIGHT 

DETAILED, 239 

XXI. — DEPARTURE  FROM  PIRATE  ISLAND  AND  HOPEFUL  NEWS 

AT  SARAWAK, 259 

XXII. — BOMBAY — WHERE  STUMPS  pOMES  TO  GRIEF,  .  .      274 

XXIIL — STUMPS  IN  DESPAIR— AND  BOMBAY  IN  RAPTURES,  .      283 

XXIV. — SHOWS  THE   DREADFUL  DEPRAVITY  OF  MAN,  AND  THE 
AMAZING  EFFECTS    OF    ELECTRICAL    TREATMENT    ON 

MAN  AND  BEAST, 300 

XXV.— A  GREAT   FIELD-DAY,  m  WHICH  SLAGG  DISTINGUISHES 

HIMSELF, 316 

XXVI.  — BEGINS  WITH   A  DISAPPOINTMENT,  CONTINUES  WITH   A 
GREAT   RECEPTION,    AND    ENDS    WITH    A    SERIES   OF 

SURPRISES, 325 

XXVII.  —DESCRIBES  SEVERAL  IMPORTANT  EVENTS,     .  .  .      343 

XXVnL—THE  CABLE  LAID, 354 

XXIX.— UNCLE  RIK'S  ADVENTURES, 363 

XXX.— THE    WRIGHT    FAMILY   REUNITED,   AND   SAM    BECOMES 

^^  HIGHLY  ELECTRICAL,  .  .        ,    .  .  .      374 

XXXI.— DESCRIBES  A  HAPPY  HOME  AND  A  HAPPIER  MEETING,  .      388 
XXXII. — IN    WHICH    THE   STORY    FINDS   A    "FAULT,"   ANTJ  THE 

ELECTRICAL  CURRENT  ENDS 399 


y 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

4N  ELECTRIFIED  TIGER  (p.  310),  .  Frontispiece. 

ILLUSTRATED  TITLE. 

TWO  LEVIATHANS  AT  THE  CABLE,    .     to  face  parje  100 

THE  PIRATES'  CAVE, 201 

ROBIN  RESCUES  LETTA 255 

THE  LAST  COIL, 361 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN   WHICH  TFTE   HERO   MAKES    HIS   FIKST   FLASH    AND   EXPLOSION. 

Somewhere  about  the  middle  of  this  nineteenth 
century,  a  baby  boy  was  born  on  the  raging  sea  in 
the  midst  of  a  howling  tempest.  That  boy  was 
the  hero  of  this  tale. 

He  was  cradled  in  squalls,  and  nourished  in 
squalor — a  week  of  dirty  weather  having  converted 
the  fore-cabin  of  the  emigrant  ship  into  something 
like  a  pig-sty.  Appreciating  the  situation,  no 
doubt,  the  baby  boy  began  his  career  with  a  squall 
that  harmonised  with  the  weather,  and,  as  the 
steward  remarked  to  the  ship's  cook,  "  continued 
for  to  squall  straight  on  end  all  that  day  and  night 
without  so  much  as  ever  taldn'  breath  !"  It  is  but 
right  to  add  that  the  steward  was  prone  to  exag- 
geration. 

A 


2  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Stooard,"  said  the  ship's  cook  in  reply,  as  he 
raised  his  eyes  from  the  contemplation  of  his 
bubbling  coppers,  "  take  my  word  for  it,  that  there 
babby  what  has  just  bin  launched  ain't  agoin'  to 
shovel  off  his  mortal  coil — as  the  play-actor  said 
— without  makin'  his  mark  some'ow  an'  some- 
w'eres." 

"What  makes  you  think  so,  Johnson?"  asked 
the  steward. 

"What  makes  me  think  so,  stooard?"  replied 
the  cook,  who  was  a  huge  good-natured  young 
man.  "  Well,  I  '11  tell  'ee.  I  was  standin'  close  to 
the  fore  hatch  at  the  time,  a-talkin'  to  Jim  Brag, 
an'  the  father  o'  the  babby,  poor  feller,  he  was 
standin'  by  the  foretops'l  halyards  holdin'  on  to 
a  belayin'-pin,  an'  lookin'  as  white  as  a  sheet — 
for  I  got  a  glance  at  'im  two  or  three  times 
doorin'  the  flashes  o'  lightnin'.  Well,  stooard,  there 
was  lightnin'  playin'  round  the  mizzeu  truck,  an' 
the  main  truck,  an'  the  fore  truck,  an'  at  the  end  o' 
the  flyin'  jib-boom,  an'  the  spanker  boom  ;  then 
there  came  a  flash  that  seemed  to  set  afire  the 
entii'e  univarse ;  then  a  burst  o'  thunder  like  iifty 
great  guns  gone  off  all  at  once  in  a  hurry.  At  that 
identical  moment,  stooard,  there  came  up  from  the 
fore-cabin  a  yell  that  beat — well,  I  can't  rightly  say 
what  it  beat,  but  it  minded  me  o'  that  unfortnit 
pig  as  got  his  tail  jammed  in  the  capstan  off  Cape 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  3 

Horn.  The  father  gave  a  gasp.  '  It 's  born,'  says 
he.  '  More  like  's  if  it 's  busted/  growled  Jim  Brag. 
'  You  're  a  unfeelin'  monster,  Brag,'  says  I ;  'an' 
though  you  are  the  ship's  carpenter,  I  will  say  it, 
you  'aven't  got  no  more  sympathy  than  the  lluke 
of  an  anchor ! '  Hows'ever  the  poor  father  didn't  hear 
the  remark,  for  he  went  down  below  all  of  a  heap 
— head,  legs,  and  arms — anyhow.  Then  there  came 
another  yell,  an'  another,  an'  half  a  dozen  more, 
which  was  followed  by  another  flash  o'  lightnin'  an' 
drownded  in  another  roar  o'  thunder ;  but  the  yells 
from  below  kep'  on,  an'  came  out  strong  between 
times,  makin'  no  account  whatever  o'  the  whistlin' 
wind  an'  rattlin'  ropes,  which  they  riz  above — 
easy. — Now,  stooard,  do  you  mean  for  to  tell  me 
that  all  that  signifies  nothink?  Do  you  suppose 
that  that  babby  could  go  through  life  like  an  or'nary 
babby  ?  No,  it  couldn't — not  even  if  it  was  to  try 
— w'ich  it  won't !" 

Having  uttered  this  prophecy  the  cook  resumed 
the  contemplation  of  his  bubbling  coppers. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  're  right,  John  Johnson," 
said  the  steward. 

"  Yes,  I  'm  right,  Tom  Thomson,"  returned  the 
cook,  with  the  nod  and  air  of  a  man  who  is  never 
wrong. 

And  the  cook  was  right,  as  the  reader  who  con- 
tinues to  read  shall  find  out  in  course  of  time. 


4  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

The  gale  in  which  little  Eobia  Wright  was  thus 
launched  upon  the  sea  of  Time  blew  the  sails  of 
that  emigrant  ship — the  Seahorse — to  ribbons.  It 
also  blew  the  masts  out  of  her,  leaving  her  a  help- 
less wreck  on  the  breast  of  the  palpitating  sea. 
Then  it  blew  a  friendly  sail  in  sight,  by  which  pas- 
sengers and  crew  were  rescued  and  carried  safe  back 
to  Old  England.  There  they  separated — some  to 
re-embark  in  other  emigrant  ships  ;  some  to  renew 
the  battle  of  life  at  home — thenceforward  and  for 
ever  after  to  vilify  the  sea  in  all  its  aspects,  except 
when  viewed  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  solid  land ! 

Little  Eobin's  parents  were  among  the  latter. 
His  father,  a  poor  gentleman,  procured  a  situation 
as  accountant  in  a  mercantile  house.  His  mother 
busied  herself — and  she  was  a  very  busy  little 
creature — with  the  economics  of  home.  She 
clothed  Robin's  body  and  stored  his  mind.  Among 
other  things,  she  early  taught  him  to  read  from 
the  Bible. 

As  Eobin  grew  he  waxed  strong  and  bold  and 
lively,  becoming  a  source  of  much  anxiety,  mingled 
with  delight,  to  his  mother,  and  of  considerable 
alarm,  mixed  with  admiration  and  surprise,  to  his 
father.  He  possessed  an  inquisitive  mind.  He 
inquired  into  everything — including  the  antique 
barometer  and  the  household  clock,  both  of  which 
were    heirlooms,  and   were  not   improved   by   his 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  5 

iuquiries.  Strange  to  say,  Robin's  chief  delight  in 
those  early  days  was  a  thunderstorm.  The  rolling 
of  heaven's  artillery  seemed  to  afford  inexpressible 
satisfaction  to  his  little  heart,  but  it  was  the  light- 
ning that  affected  him  most.  It  filled  him  with 
a  species  of  awful  joy.  No  matter  how  it  came  — 
whether  in  the  forked  flashes  of  the  storm,  or  the 
lambent  gleamings  of  the  summer  sky — he  would 
sit  and  gaze  at  it  in  solemn  wonder.  Even  in  his 
earliest  years  he  began  to  make  inquiries  into  that 
remarkable  and  mysterious  agent. 

"Musser,"  he  said  one  day,  during  a  thunder- 
storm, raising  his  large  eyes  to  his  mother's  face 
with  intense  gravity, — "Musser,  what  is  lightenin'  ?" 

Mrs.  Wright,  who  was  a  soft  little  unscientific 
lady  with  gorgeous  eyes,  sat  before  her  son  per- 
plexed. 

"  Well,  child,  it  is — it — really,  I  don't  know 
what  it  is  ! " 

"  Don't  know  ? "  echoed  Eobin,  with  surprise,  "  I 
sought  you  know'd  everysing." 

"  No,  not  everything,  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Wright, 
with  a  deprecatory  smile ;  "  but  here  conies  your 
father,  who  will  tell  you." 

"  Does  he  know  everysing  ? "  asked  the  child. 

"  N — no,  not  exactly  ;  but  he  knows  many  things 
— oh,  ever  so  many  things,"  answered  the  cautious 
wife  and  mother. 


6  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

The  accountant  had  barely  crossed  his  humble 
threshold  and  sat  down,  wlien  Eobin  clambered  on 
his  knee  and  put  the  puzzling  question — "  Tasser, 
what  is  lightenin'  ?  " 

"  Lightning,  my  boy  ? — why,  it 's — it 's — let  me 
see — it's  fire,  of  course,  of  some  sort,  that  comes 
out  o'  the  clouds  and  goes  slap  into  the  earth — 
there,  don't  you  see  it  ?  " 

Eobin  did  see  it,  and  was  so  awestruck  by  the 
crash  which  followed  the  blinding  flash  that  he 
forgot  at  the  moment  to  push  his  inquiries  farther, 
much  to  his  father's  satisfaction,  who  internally 
resolved  to  hunt  up  the  Encyclopcedia  Britannica 
that  very  evening — letter  L — and  study  it. 

In  process  of  time  Eobin  increased  in  size.  As 
he  expanded  in  body  he  developed  in  mind  and  in 
heart,  for  his  little  mother,  although  profoundly 
ignorant  of  electricity  and  its  effects,  was  deeply 
learned  in  the  Scriptures.  But  Eobin  did  not 
hunger  in  vain  after  scientific  knowledge.  By 
good  fortune  he  had  a  cousin — cousin  Sam  Shipton 
— who  was  fourteen  years  older  than  himself,  and  a 
clerk  at  a  neighbouring  railway  station,  where  there 
was  a  telegraphic  instrument. 

Now,  Sara  being  himself  possessed  of  strongly 
scientific  tendencies,  took  a  great  fancy  to  little 
Eobin,  and  sought  to  enlighten  his  young  mind  on 
many  subjects  where  "  musser's  "  knowledge  failed. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  7 

Of  course  he  could  not  explain  all  that  he  himself 
knew  about  electricity — the  child  was  too  young  for 
tliat, — but  he  did  what  he  could,  and  introduced  him 
one  day  to  the  interior  of  the  station,  where  he  filled 
his  youthful  mind  with  amazement  and  admiration 
by  his  rapid,  andapparently  meaningless,  manipu- 
lation of  the  telegraph  instrument. 

Cousin  Sara,  however,  did  a  good  deal  more  for 
him  than  that  in  the  course  of  time  ;  but  before 
proceeding  further,  we  must  turn  aside  for  a  few 
minutes  to  comment  on  that  wonderful  subject 
which  is  essentially  connected  with  the  develop- 
ment of  this  tale. 


THE  BATTEItY  AKD  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTEE    II. 

IIEFEIIS   TO   A   NOTABLE   CHAUACTER. 

SrAEKS,  as  a  rule,  are  looked  upon  as  a  race  of 
useless  and  disreputable  fellows.  Their  course  is 
usually  erratic.  They  fly  upward,  downward,  for- 
ward, and  backward — here,  there,  and  everywhere. 
You  never  know  when  you  have  them,  or  what  will 
be  their  next  flight.  They  often  create  a  good  deal 
of  alarm,  sometimes  much  surprise  ;  they  seldom  do 
any  good,  and  frequently  cause  irreparable  damage. 
Only  when  caught  and  restrained,  or  directed,  do 
sparks  become  harmless  and  helpful. 

But  there  is  one  Spark  in  this  world — a  grand, 
glowing,  gushing  fellow — who  has  not  his  equal 
anywhere.  He  is  old  as  the  hills — perhaps  older — 
and  wide  as  the  world— perchance  wider.  Similar 
to  ordinary  sparks  in  some  respects,  he  differs  from 
them  in  several  important  particulars.  Like  many, 
he  is  "  fast,"  but  immeasurably  faster  than  all  other 
sparks  put  together.  Unlike  them,  however,  he 
submits  to  be  led  by  master  minds.     Stronger  tlian 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  9 

Hercules,  he  can  rend  the  mountains.  Fleeter  than 
Mercury,  he  can  outstrip  the  light.  Gentler  than 
Zephyr,  he  can  assume  the  condition  of  a  current, 
and  enter  our  very  marrow  without  causing  pain. 
His  name  is  Electricity.  No  one  knows  what  he  is. 
Some  philosophers  have  said  that  he  is  a  fluid, 
because  he  iiows.  As  well  might  they  call  him  a 
wild  horse  because  he  bolts,  or  a  thief  because  he 
lurks  !  We  prefer  to  call  him  a  Spark,  because  in 
that  form  only  is  he  visible — at  least  when  handled 
by  man. 

Talking  of  that,  it  was  not  until  the  last  century 
that  master  minds  found  out  how  to  catch  and  handle 
our  Spark.  In  all  the  previous  centuries  he  had 
been  roaming  gaily  about  the  world  in  perfect  free- 
dom ;  sometimes  gliding  silently  to  and  fro  like  an 
angel  of  light;  sometimes  leaping  forth  with  frightful 
energy  in  the  midst  of  raging  tempest,  like  a  destruc- 
tive demon — ripping,  rending,  shattering  all  that 
attempted  to  arrest  his  course.  Men  have  feared  and 
shunned  him  since  the  beginning  of  time,  and  with 
good  reason,  for  he  has  killed  many  of  the  human 
race. 

But  although  uncaught  and  untamed  by  them,  our 
Spark  was  not  altogether  unknown  to  the  ancients. 
So  far  back  as  the  year  600  before  the  Christian  era, 
Thales,  one  of  the  Greek  sages,  discovered  that  he 
hid  himself  in  amber,  a  substance  which  in  Greek 


10  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

is  named  electron — hence  his  name  Electricity ; 
but  the  ancients  knew  little  about  his  character, 
though  Thales  found  that  he  could  draw  him  from 
his  hiding-place  by  rubbing  him  with  silk  and  some 
other  substances.  When  thus  rubbed  he  became 
attractive,  and  drew  light  creatures  towards  him — 
not  unlike  human  sparks !  He  also  showed  him- 
self to  be  fickle,  for,  after  holding  these  light 
creatures  tight  for  a  brief  space,  he  let  them  go 
and  repelled  them. 

It  was  not  till  the  days  of  good  Queen  Bess, 
towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  that  a 
Dr.  Gilbert  discovered  that  the  wild  fellow  lay 
lurking  in  other  substances  besides  amber — such  as 
sulphur,  wax,  glass,  etc.  It  is  now  known  that 
Electricity  permeates  all  substances  more  or  less, 
and  only  waits  to  be  roused  in  order  to  exhibit  his 
amazing  powers.  He  is  fond  of  shocking  people's 
feelings,  and  has  surprised  his  pursuers  rather 
frequently  in  that  way.  Some  of  them,  indeed,  he 
has  actually  shocked  to  death ! 

It  would  take  a  huge  volume  to  give  a  detailed 
account  of  all  the  qualities,  powers,  and  peculiarities 
of  this  wild  Spark.  We  will  just  touch  on  a  few 
facts  which  are  necessary  to  the  elucidation  of  our 
tale. 

A  great  event  in  the  world's  history  happened 
in  the  year  1745.      It  was  nothing  less  than  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  11 

capture  and  imprisonment  of  wild,  daring,  dashing 
Electricity.  To  the  Dutch  philosophers  belongs  the 
honour  of  catching  him.  They  caught  him — they 
even  bottled  him,  like  ordinary  spirits,  and  called 
his  prison  a  Lcyden  Jar. 

From  that  date  our  Spark  became  the  useful  and 
obedient  slave  of  man.  Yet  is  he  ever  ready,  when 
the  smallest  conceivable  door,  hole,  or  chink  is  left 
open,  to  dash  out  of  the  prison-house  man  has  made 
for  him,  and  escape  into  his  native  earth  ! 

He  has  no  hope  now,  however,  of  escaping  alto- 
gether, for  he  cannot  resist  the  allurement  of  rub- 
bing, by  which,  as  well  as  by  chemical  action  and 
other  means,  we  can  summon  him,  like  the  genii 
of  Aladdin's  lamp,  at  any  moment,  from  the  "  vasty 
deep,"  and  compel  him  to  do  our  work. 

And  what  sort  of  work,  it  may  be  asked,  can  this 
volatile  fellow  perform  ?  We  cannot  tell  all — the 
list  is  too  long.  Let  us  consider  a  few  of  them. 
If  we  fabricate  tea-pots,  sugar-basins,  spoons,  or 
anything  else  of  base  metal,  he  can  and  will,  at  our 
bidding,  cover  the  same  with  silver  or  yellow  gold. 
If  we  grow  dissatisfied  with  our  candles  and  gas,  he 
will,  on  being  summoned  and  properly  directed  by 
the  master  minds  to  whom  he  owns  allegiance, 
kindle  our  lamps  and  fill  our  streets  and  mansions 
with  a  blaze  of  noonday  splendour.  If  we  grow 
weary  of  steam,  and  give  him  orders,  he  will  drive 


12  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

our  tram-cars  and  locomotives  with  railway  speed, 
minus  railway  smoke  and  fuss.  He  is  a  very  giant 
in  the  chemist's  laboratory,  and,  above  all,  a  swift 
messenger  to  carry  the  world's  news.  Even  when 
out  and  raging  to  and  fro  in  a  wild  state,  more  than 
half-disposed  to  rend  our  mansions,  and  split  our 
steeples,  and  wreck  our  ships,  we  have  only  to  pro- 
vide him  with  a  tiny  metal  stair- case,  down  which 
he  will  instantly  glide  from  the  upper  regions  to  the 
earth  without  noise  or  damage.  Shakespeare  never 
imagined,  and  Mercury  never  accomplished,  the 
speed  at  which  he  travels  ;  and  he  will  not  only 
carry  our  news  or  express  our  sentiments  and  wishes 
far  and  wide  over  the  land,  but  he  will  rush  with 
them,  over  rock,  sand,  mud,  and  ooze,  along  the 
bottom  of  the  deep  deep  sea  ! 

And  this  brings  us  to  a  point.  Some  of  the 
master  minds  before  mentioned,  having  conceived 
the  idea  that  telegraphic  communication  might  be 
carried  on  under  water,  set  about  experimenting. 
Between  the  years  1839  and  1851  enterprising  men 
in  the  Old  World  and  the  New  suggested,  pondered, 
planned,  and  placed  wires  under  water,  along  which 
our  Spark  ran  more  or  less  successfully. 

One  of  the  difficulties  of  these  experiments  con- 
sisted in  this,  that,  while  the  Spark  runs  readily 
along  one  class  of  substances,  he  cannot,  or  will  not, 
run  along  others.     Substances  of  the  first  class,  com- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  13 

prising  the  metals,  are  called  conductors ;  those  of 
the  second  class,  embracing,  among  other  things, 
all  resinous  substances,  are  styled  non-conductors. 
Now,  water  is  a  good  conductor.  So  that  although 
the  Spark  will  stick  to  his  wires  when  insulated 
on  telegraph-posts  on  land,  he  will  bolt  from  them 
at  once  and  take  to  flight  the  moment  he  gets  under 
water.  This  diflficulty  was  overcome  by  coating  the 
wires  with  gutta-perclia,  which,  being  a  non-con- 
ductor, imprisoned  the  Spark,  and  kept  him,  as  it 
were,  on  the  line. 

A  copper  wire  covered  in  this  manner  was  suc- 
cessfully laid  between  England  and  France  in  1850, 
When  tested,  this  cable  did  not  work  well.  Minute 
imperfections,  in  the  form  of  air-holes  in  the  gutta- 
percha, afforded  our  Spark  an  opportunity  to  bolt ; 
and  he  did  bolt,  as  a  matter  of  course — for  electricity 
has  no  sense  of  honour,  and  cannot  be  trusted  near 
the  smallest  loop-hole.  The  imperfections  were 
remedied ;  the  door  was  effectually  locked,  after 
which  the  first  submarine  cable  of  importance  was 
actually  laid  down,  and  worked  well.  French  and 
English  believers  turned  up  hands  and  eyes  in 
delighted  amazement,  as  they  held  converse  across 
the  sea,  while  unbelievers  were  silenced  and  con- 
founded. 

This  happy  state  of  things,  however,  lasted  for 
only  a  few  hours.     Suddenly  the  intercourse  ceased. 


14  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

Tlie  telegraphists  at  both  ends  energised  with  their 
handles  and  needles,  but  without  any  result.  The 
cable  was  dumb-     Our  Spark  had  evidently  escaped  ! 

There  is  no  effect  without  a  cause.  The  cause  of 
that  interruption  was  soon  discovered. 

Early  that  morning  a  French  fisherman  had 
sauntered  down  to  the  port  of  Boulogne  and  em- 
barked in  his  boat.  A  British  seaman,  having 
nothing  to  do  but  smoke  and  meditate,  was  seated  on 
a  coil  of  rope  at  the  time,  enjoying  himself  and  the 
smells  with  which  that  port  is  not  unfamiliar.  He 
chanced  to  be  a  friend  of  that  French  fisherman. 

"  You  're  early  afloat,  Mounseer,"  he  said. 

"  Oui,  monsieur.    Vill  you  com'  ?    I  go  for  feesh." 

"  Well,  wee  ;  I  go  for  fun." 

They  went  accordingly  and  bore  away  to  the 
northward  along  the  coast  before  a  light  breeze, — 
past  the  ruined  towers  which  France  had  built  to 
guard  her  port  in  days  gone  by ;  past  the  steep 
cliffs  beyond  Boulogne;  past  the  lovely  beach  of 
Wimereux,  with  its  cottages  nestled  among  the 
sand-hills,  and  its  silted-up  harbour,  whence  Napo- 
leon the  First  had  intended  to  issue  forth  and 
descend  on  perfidious  Albion  —  but  didn't ;  past 
cliffs,  and  bays,  and  villages  further  on,  until  they 
brought  up  off  Cape  Grisnez.  Here  the  Frenchman 
let  down  his  trawl,  and  fished  up,  among  other 
curiosities  of  the  deep,  the  submarine  cable  ! 


THE  UATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  15 

"Behold  !  fat  is  dis  ?"  he  exclaimed,  with  glaring 
eyes,  uplifted  brows,  shoulders  shrugged,  hands 
spread  out,  and  fingers  expanded. 

"The  sea-sarpint  grow'd  thin,"  suggested  the 
Englishman. 

"  Non  ;  c'est  seaveed — veed  de  most  'strordinair 
in  de  vorld.  Oui,  donnez-moi  de  hache,  de  hax, 
men  ami." 

His  friend  handed  him  the  axe,  wherewith  he 
cut  off  a  small  portion  of  the  cable  and  let  the  end 
go.  Little  did  that  fisherman  know  that  he  had 
also  let  our  Spark  go  free,  and  cruelly  dashed,  for  a 
time  at  least,  the  budding  hopes  of  two  nations— 
but  so  it  was.  lie  bore  his  prize  in  triumph  to 
Boulogne,  where  he  exhibited  it  as  a  specimen  of 
rare  seaweed  with  its  centre  filled  with  gold,  while 
the  telegraph  clerks  at  both  ends  sat  gazing  in 
dismay  at  their  useless  instruments. 

Thus  was  the  first  submarine  electric  cable 
destroyed.  And  with  the  details  of  its  destruction 
little  Eobin  was  intimately  acquainted,  for  cousin 
Sam  had  been  a  member  of  the  staff  that  had 
worked  that  telegraph — at  least  he  had  been  a  boy 
in  the  office, — and  in  after  years  he  so  filled  his 
cousin's  mind  with  the  importance  of  that  cable, 
and  the  grandeur  and  difficulty  of  the  enterprise, 
that  Eobin  became  powerfully  sympathetic  —  so 
much  so  that  when  Sam,  in  telling  the  story,  came 


16  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

to  the  point  where  the  Frenchman  accomplished  its 
destruction,  Robin  used  to  grieve  over  it  as  though 
he  had  lost  a  brother,  or  a  kitten,  or  his  latest 
toy! 

We  need  scarcely  add  that  submarine  cable 
telegraphy  had  not  received  its  death-blow  on  that 
occasion.  Its  possibility  had  been  demonstrated. 
The  very  next  year  (1851)  Mr.  T.  R.  Crampton, 
with  Messrs.  Wollaston,  Kiiper,  and  others,  made 
and  laid  an  improved  cable  between  Dover  and 
Calais,  and  ere  long  many  other  parts  of  the  world 
were  connected  by  means  of  snaky  submarine 
ftlectric  cables. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  17 


CHAPTER  IIL 


EARLY  ASPIRATIONS. 


One  pleasant  summer  afteruoon,  Mr.  Wright, 
coming  in  from  the  office,  seated  himself  beside  his 
composed  Kttle  wife,  who  was  patching  a  pair  of 
miniature  pantaloons. 

"  Nan,"  said  the  husband,  with  a  perplexed  look, 
"what  are  we  to  do  with  our  Robin  when  he  grows 
up?" 

"  George,"  answered  the  composed  wife,  "  don't 
you  think  it  is  rather  soon  to  trouble  ourselves 
with  that  question  ?  Robin  is  a  mere  child  yet. 
We  must  first  give  him  a  good  education." 

"  Of  course,  I  know  that,"  returned  the  perplexed 
husband,  "  still,  I  can't  help  thinking  about  what  is 
to  be  done  after  he  has  had  the  good  education. 
You  know  I  have  no  relation  in  the  world  except 
brother  Richard,  who  is  as  poor  as  myself.  We 
have  no  influential  friends  to  help  him  into  the 
Army  or  the  Navy  or  the  Indian  Civil  Service ; 
and  the  Church,  you  know,  is  not  suitable  for  an 
imp.  Just  look  at  him  now  !" 
B 


18  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Mrs.  Wright  looked  through  the  window,  over 
one  of  those  sunny  landscapes  which  are  usually 
described  as  "  smiling,"  across  a  winding  rivulet, 
and  at  last  fixed  her  gorgeous  eyes  on  a  tall  post, 
up  which  a  small  black  object  was  seen  to  be 
struggling. 

"  What  can  he  be  up  to  ? "  said  the  father, 

"He  seems  to  be  up  the  telegraph-post,"  said 
the  mother,  "  investigating  the  wires,  no  doubt.  I 
heard  him  talking  about  telegraphy  to  Madge  this 
morning — retailing  what  cousin  Sam  tries  to  teacli 
him, — and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  were  now  endea- 
vouring to  make  sure  that  what  he  told  her  was 
correct,  for  you  know  he  is  a  thorough  investigator." 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,"  murmured  the  father,  with 
a  grim  pursing  of  his  lips ;  "  he  investigated  the 
inside  of  my  watch  last  week,  to  find  out,  as  he 
said,  what  made  the  noise  in  its  '  stummick,'  and  it 
has  had  intermittent  fever  ever  since.  Two  days 
ago  he  investigated  my  razor, — it  is  now  equal  to  a 
cross-cut  saw  ;  and  as  to  my  drawers  and  papers, 
excepting  those  which  I  lock  up,  there  is  but  one 
word  which  fully  describes  the  result  of  his  in- 
vestigations, and  that  is — chaos." 

There  was,  in  truth,  some  ground  for  that  father's 
emotions,  for  Master  Eobin  displayed  investigative, 
not  to  say  destructive,  capacities  far  in  advance  of 
his  vears. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  19 

"  Never  mind,  George,"  said  Mrs.  Wright  sooth- 
ingly, "  we  must  put  up  with  his  little  ways  as  best 
we  may,  consoling  ourselves  with  the  reflection 
that  Eobin  has  genius  and  perseverance,  with 
which  qualities  he  is  sure  to  make  his  way  in  the 
world." 

"  He  has  at  all  events  made  his  way  up  the 
telegraph-post,"  said  Mr.  Wright,  liis  smile  expand- 
ing and  the  grimness  of  it  departing ;  "  see  !  the 
rascal  is  actually  stretching  out  his  hand  to  grasp 
one  of  the  wires.      Ha  !  hallo  !" 

The  composed  wife  became  suddenly  discom- 
posed, and  gave  vent  to  a  scream,  for  at  that 
moment  the  small  black  object  which  they  had 
been  watching  with  so  much  interest  was  seen  to 
fall  backward,  make  a  wild  grasp  at  nothing  with 
both  hands,  and  fall  promptly  to  the  ground. 

His  father  threw  up  the  window,  leaped  out, 
dashed  across  the  four- feet- wide  lawn,  cleared  the 
winding  rivulet,  and  cut,  like  a  hunted  hare,  over 
the  smiling  landscape  towards  the  telegraph-post, 
at  the  foot  of  which  he  picked  up  his  unconscious 
though  not  much  injured  son. 

"  What  made  you  climb  the  post,  Eobin?"  asked 
his  cousin  Madge  that  evening,  as  she  nursed  the 
adventurous  boy  on  her  knee — and  Madge  was  a 
very  motherly  nurse,  although  a  full  year  younger 
than  Kobin. 


20  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  I  kimed  it  to  see  if  I  could  hear  the  'trissity," 
replied  the  injured  one. 

"  The  ZeA;-trissity,"  said  Madge,  correcting.  "  You 
mitst  learn  to  p'onounce  your  words  popperly,  dear. 
You'll  never  be  a  great  man  if  you  are  so  careless." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  a  g'eat  man,"  retorted  Eobin. 
"  I  on'y  want  t'understand  things  whats  puzzlesum." 

"  Well,  does  the  telegraph  puzzle  you?" 

"  Oh !  mos'  awfully,"  returned  Eobin,  with  a 
solemn  gaze  of  his  earnest  eyes,  one  of  which  was 
rendered  fantastic  by  a  yellow-green  ring  round  it 
and  a  swelling  underneath.  "  I 's  kite  sure  I 's  stood 
for  hours  beside  dat  post  listin'  to  it  hummin'  an' 
bummin'  like  our  olianarp — " 

"  Now,  Eobin,  do  be  careful.  You  know  mamma 
calls  it  an  olian  harp." 

"Yes,  well,  like  our  olian  ^-arp,  only  a  deal 
louder,  an'  far  nicer.  An'  I's  often  said  to  myself, 
Is  that  the  'trissity — ? " 

"  Lek,  Eobin,  lek  !  " 

"  Well,  yes,  ZeZ;-trissity.  So  I  thought  I'd  kime 
up  an'  see,  for,  you  know,  papa  says  the  'trissity — 
lek,  I  mean — runs  along  the  wires — " 

"  But  papa  also  says,"  interrupted  Madge,  "  that 
the  sounds  you  want  to  know  about  are  made  by 
the  vi —  the  vi —  " 

"  Bratin',"  suggested  the  invalid. 

"  Yes,  vibratin'  of  the  wires." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  21 

"I  wonder  what  vi-bratin'  means,"  murmured 
Kobin,  turning  his  lustrous  though  damaged  eyes 
meditatively  on  the  landscape. 

"  Don'no  for  sure,"  said  Madge,  "  but  I  think  it 
means  tremblin'." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  conversation  that 
Eobert  Wright  and  his  precocious  cousin  Marjory 
were  of  a  decidedly  philosophical  turn  of  mind. 


22  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

BXTRAORDINART  RESULT  OF  AN  ATTEMPT  AT  AMATEUR  CABLE-LATINO. 

Time  continued  to  roll  additional  years  off  his 
reel,  and  rolled  out  Eobin  and  Madge  in  length  and 
breadth,  though  we  cannot  say  much  for  thickness. 
Time  also  developed  their  minds,  and  Eobin  gradu- 
ally began  to  understand  a  little  more  of  the  nature 
of  that  subtle  fluid — if  we  may  venture  so  to  call 
it — under  the  influence  of  which  he  had  been  born. 

"  Come,  Madge,"  he  said  one  day,  throwing  on  his 
cap,  "  let  us  go  and  play  at  cables." 

Madge,  ever  ready  to  play  at  anything,  put  on 
her  sun-bonnet  and  followed  her  ambitious  leader. 

"  Is  it  to  be  land-telegraphs  to-day,  or  submarine 
cables  ?"  inquired  Madge,  with  as  much  gravity  and 
earnestness  as  if  the  world's  welfare  depended  on 
the  decision. 

"Cables,  of  course,"  answered  Eobin,  "why, 
Madge,  I  have  done  with  land-telegraphs  now. 
There  's  nothing  more  to  learn  about  them.  Cousin 
Sam    has   put    me   up   to   everything,   you   know. 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  23 

Besides,  there 's  no  mystery  about  land-lines.  Why, 
you've  only  got  to  stick  up  a  lot  o'  posts  with  in- 
sulators screwed  to  'em,  fix  wires  to  the  insulators, 
clap  on  an  electric  battery  and  a  telegraph  instru- 
ment, and  fire  away." 

"Eobin,  what  are  insulators?"  asked  Madge,  with 
a  puzzled  look. 

"  Madge,"  replied  Eobin,  with  a  self-satisfied 
expression  on  his  pert  face,  "this  is  the  three- 
hundred- thousandth  time  I  have  explained  that 
to  you." 

"Explain  it  the  three-hundred-thousand-and-first 
time,  then,  dear  Eobin,  and  perhaps  I  'II  take  it 
in." 

"Well,"  began  Eobin,  with  a  hypocritical  sigh 
of  despair,  "  you  must  know  that  everything  in 
nature  is  more  or  less  a  conductor  of  electricity,  but 
some  things  conduct  it  so  well — such  as  copper 
and  iron — that  they  are  called  conductors,  and  some 
things — such  as  glass  and  earthenware — conduct  it 
so  very  badly  that  they  scarcely  conduct  it  at  all, 
and  are  called  non-condtictors.     D'ee  see  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  see,  Eobin ;  so  does  a  bat,  but  he 
doesn't  see  well.     However,  go  on." 

"  Well,  if  I  were  to  run  my  wire  through  the 
posts  that  support  it,  my  electricity  would  escape 
down  these  posts  into  the  earth,  especially  if  the 
posts  were  wet  with  rain,  for  water  is  a  good  con- 


24  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

dnctor,  and  Mister  Electricity  has  an  irresistible 
desire  to  bolt  into  the  earth,  like  a  mole." 

"Naughty  fellow!"  murmured  Madge. 

"But,"  continued  Robin  impressively,  "if  I  fix 
little  lumps  of  glass  with  a  hole  in  them  to  the 
posts,  and  fix  my  wires  to  these,  Electricity  cannot 
bolt,  because  the  glass  lumps  are  non-conductors, 
and  won't  let  him  pass." 

"How  good  of  them  !"  said  Madge. 

"  Yes,  isn't  it  ?  So,  you  see,"  continued  Eobin, 
"  the  glass  lumps  are  insulators,  for  they  cut  the  elec- 
tricity off  from  the  earth  as  an  island  is,  or,  at  all 
events,  appears  to  be,  cut  off  from  it  by  water ;  and 
Mister  Electricity  must  go  along  the  wires  and  do 
what  I  tell  him.  Of  course,  you  know,  I  must  make 
my  electricity  first  in  a  battery,  which,  as  I  have 
often  and  often  told  you,  is  a  trough  containing  a 
mixture  of  acid  and  water,  with  plates  or  slices  of 
zinc  and  copper  in  it,  placed  one  after  the  other,  but 
not  touching  each  other.  Now,  if  I  fix  a  piece  of 
wire  to  m}'  first  copper  slice  or  plate,  and  the  other 
end  of  it  to  my  last  zinc  slice  or  plate,  immediately 
electricity  will  begin  to  be  made,  and  will  fly  from 
the  copper  to  the  zinc,  and  so  round  and  round  until 
the  plates  are  worn  out  or  the  wire  broken.  D'ee 
see?" 

"No,  Robin,  I  don't  see  ,  I'm  blinder  tlian  the 
blindest  mole." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  25 

"Oh,  Madge,  what  a  wonderful  mind  you  must 
have  !"  said  Eobin,  laughing.     "  It  is  so  simple." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Madge,  "  I  understand  what 
you  mean  by  troughs  and  plates  and  all  that,  but 
what  I  want  to  know  is  why  that  arrangement  is 
necessary.  Why  would  it  not  do  just  as  well  to 
tempt  electricity  out  of  its  hiding-hole  with  plates 
or  slices  of  cheese  and  bread,  placed  one  after  the 
other  in  a  trough  filled  with  a  mixture  of  glue  and 
melted  butter  ?" 

"  What  stuff  you  do  talk,  Madge  !  As  well  might 
you  ask  why  it  would  not  do  to  make  a  plum- 
pudding  out  of  nutmegs  and  coal-tar.  There  are 
some  things  that  no  fellow  can  understand,  and  of 
course  I  don't  know  everything  !" 

The  astounding  modesty  of  this  latter  remark 
seemed  to  have  furnished  Madge  with  food  for 
reflection,  for  she  did  not  reply  to  it.  After  a  few 
minutes'  walk  the  amateur  electricians  reached  the 
scene  of  their  intended  game — a  sequestered  dell  in 
a  plantation,  through  which  brawled  a  rather  tur- 
bulent stream.  At  one  part,  where  a  willow  over- 
hung the  water,  there  was  a  deep  broad  pool.  The 
stream  entered  the  pool  with  a  headlong  plunge, 
and  issued  from  it  with  a  riotous  upheaval  of  wave- 
lets and  foam  among  jagged  rocks,  as  if  rejoicing  in, 
and  rather  boastful  about,  the  previous  leap. 

The  game  was  extremely  simple.      The  pool  was 


26  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

to  be  the  German  Ocean,  and  a  piece  of  stout  cord 
was  to  serve  as  a  submarine  cable. 

The  boy  and  girl  were  well-matched  play- 
mates, for  Madge  was  ignorant  and  receptive — in 
reference  to  science, — Robin  learned  and  com- 
municative, while  both  were  intensely  earnest, 

"  Now,  this  is  the  battery,"  said  Eobin,  when  he 
had  dug  a  deep  hole  close  to  the  pool  with  a  spade 
brought  for  the  purpose, 

"  Yes,  and  the  muddy  water  in  it  will  do  for  the 
mixture  of  acid  and  water,"  said  Madge. 

As  she  spoke,  Robin's  toe  caught  on  a  root,  and 
he  went  headlong  into  the  battery,  out  of  which  he 
emerged  scarcely  recognisable.  It  was  a  severe, 
though  not  an  electric,  shock,  and  at  first  Robin 
seemed  inclined  to  whimper,  but  his  manhood 
triumphed,  and  he  burst  into  a  compound  laugh 
and  yell,  to  the  intense  relief  of  Madge,  who  thought 
at  first  that  he  had  been  seriously  injured. 

"  Never  mind,  Madge,"  said  Robin,  as  he  cleansed 
his  muddy  head ;  "  cousin  Sam  has  often  told  me 
that  nothing  great  was  ever  done  except  in  the 
face  of  difficulties  and  dangers.  I  wonder  whether 
this  should  be  counted  a  difficulty  or  a  danger?" 

"  At  first  I  thought  it  a  danger,"  said  Madge, 
with  a  laugh,  "  but  the  trouble  you  now  have 
with  the  mud  in  your  liair  looks  like  a  difficulty, 
doesn't  it?" 


THE  BATTEllY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  27 

"  Why,  then,  it 's  both,"  cried  Eobin.  "  Come, 
that's  a  good  beginning.  Now,  Madge,  you  get 
away  round  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  pool,  and 
mind  you  don't  slip  in,  it 's  rather  steep  tliere." 

"  This  is  England,"  cried  Eobin,  preparing  to 
throw  the  line  over  to  his  assistant,  who  stood 
eager  to  aid  on  the  other  side,  "  and  you  are  stand- 
ing on — on — what 's  on  the  other  side  of  the  German 
Ocean?" 

"  I  'm  not  sure,  Eobin.  Holland,  I  think,  or 
Denmark." 

"  Well,  we  '11  say  Denmark.  Look  out  now,  and 
be  ready  to  catch.  I  'm  going  to  connect  England 
and  Denmark  with  a  submarine  cable." 

"  Stay  !"  cried  Madger,  "is  that  the  way  submarine 
cables  are  laid,  by  throwing  them  over  the  sea?" 

"  N — no,  not  exactly.  They  had  a  steamboat, 
you  know,  to  carry  over  the  telegraph  from  England 
to  Erance ;  but  we  haven't  got  a  steamer — not  even 
a  plank  to  make-believe  one.  Cousin  Sam  says  that 
a  good  workman  can  do  his  work  with  almost  any 
tools  that  come  to  hand.  As  we  have  no  tools  at 
all,  we  will  improve  on  that  and  go  to  work  without 
them.     Now,  catch !" 

Eobin  made  a  splendid  heave— so  splendid  indeed 
that  it  caused  him  to  stagger  backward,  and  again 
he  stumbled  into  his  own  battery !  This  time, 
however,  only  one  leg  was  immersed. 


28  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"Another  danger  !"  shouted  Madge  in  great  glee, 
"  but  I  've  caught  the  cable." 

"  All  right.  Now  make  fast  the  shore-end  to  a 
bush,  and  we'll  commence  telegraphing.  The  first 
must  be  a  message  from  the  Queen  to  the  King  of 
Denmark — or  is  it  the  President?" 

"  King,  I  think,  Eobin,  but  I  'm  not  sure." 

"  Well,  it  won't  matter.     But— I  say — " 

"  What 's  wrong  now  ?" 

"  Why,  the  cable  won't  sink.  It  is  floating  about 
on  the  top  of  the  pool,  and  it  can't  be  a  submarine 
cable,  you  know,  unless  it  sinks." 

"  Another  difficulty,  Eobin." 

"  We  will  face  and  overcome  it,  Madge.  Cast 
off  the  shore-end  and  I  '11  soon  settle  that." 

Having  fastened  a  number  of  small  stones  to  the 
cable,  this  persevering  electrician  would  certainly 
have  overcome  the  difficulty  if  the  line  had  not, 
when  thrown,  unfortunately  caught  on  a  branch  of 
the  willow,  where  it  hung  suspended  just  out  of 
Madge's  reach. 

"How  provoking!"  she  said,  stretching  out  her 
hand  to  the  utmost. 

"  Take  care — you  '11 — ha  !" 

The  warning  came  too  late.  The  edge  of  the 
bank  gave  way,  and  Madge  went  headlong  into  the 
pool  with  a  wild  shriek  and  a  fearful  plunge. 

Robin  stood   rooted  to  the  spot — heart,  breatli, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  29 

blood,  brain,  paralysed  for  the  moment — gazing  at 
the  spot  where  his  playmate  had  disappeared. 

Another  moment  and  her  head  and  hands  ap- 
peared. She  struggled  bravely  for  life,  while  the 
circling  current  carried  her  quickly  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  pool. 

Eobin's  energies  returned,  as  he  afterwards  said, 
like  an  electric  shock,  but  accompanied  with  a 
terrible  sinking  of  the  heart,  for  he  knew  that  he 
could  not  swim !  His  education  in  this  important 
particular  had  been  neglected.  He  sprang  round 
to  the  lower  end  of  the  pool  just  in  time  to  hold 
out  his  hand  to  the  drowning  girl.  He  almost 
touched  her  outstretched  hand  as  she  swept  to- 
wards the  turbulent  waters  below,  but  failed  to 
grasp  it. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  our  little  hero  was 
called  on  to  face  death  voluntarily.  Another 
moment  and  Madge  would  have  been  caught  in  the 
boiling  stream  that  rushed  towards  the  fall  below. 
He  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  sprang  right 
upon  Madge  and  caught  her  in  his  arms.  There 
was  no  need  to  hold  on  to  her.  In  the  agony  of 
fear  the  poor  child  clasped  the  boy  in  a  deadly 
embrace.  They  were  whirled  violently  round  and 
hurled  against  a  rock.  Eobin  caught  it  with  one 
hand,  but  it  was  instantly  torn  from  his  grasp.  The 
waters  overwhelmed    them,   and  again  sent  them 


30  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

violently  towards  the  bank.  This  time  Eobin 
caught  a  rock  with  both  hands  and  held  on. 
Slowly,  while  almost  choked  with  the  water  that 
splashed  up  into  his  face,  he  worked  his  right  knee 
into  a  crevice,  then  made  a  wild  grasp  with  the 
left  hand  at  a  higher  projection  of  the  rock.  At 
the  same  moment  his  left  foot  struck  the  bottom. 
Another  effort  and  he  was  out  of  danger,  but  it  was 
several  minutes  ere  he  succeeded  in  dragging  Madge 
from  the  hissing  water  of  the  shallows  to  the  green 
sward  above,  and  after  this  was  accomplished  he 
found  it  almost  impossible  to  tear  himself  from  the 
grasp  of  the  now  unconscious  girl. 

At  first  poor  Eobin  thought  that  his  companion 
was  dead,  but  by  degrees  consciousness  returned, 
and  at  last  she  was  able  to  rise  and  walk. 

Drenched,  dishevelled,  and  depressed,  these  un- 
fortunate electricians  returned  home. 

Of  course  they  were  received  with  mingled  joy 
and  reproof.  Of  course,  also,  they  were  forbidden 
to  go  near  the  pool  again — though  this  prohibition 
was  afterwards  removed,  and  our  hero  ultimately 
became  a  first-rate  swimmer  and  diver. 

Thus  was  frustrated  the  laying  of  the  first  sub- 
marine cable  between  England  and  Denmark  ! 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  31 


CHAPTER  V. 

PROSPECTS   OF  BKAL   CABLE-LAYING— ROBIN   MEIiTS  WITH   HIS  FIRST 
ELECTRICAL  ACQUAINTANCES. 

CiECUMSTANCES  require  that  we  should  shift  the 
scene  and  the  date  pretty  frequently  in  this  tale. 
We  solicit  the  reader's  attendance  at  an  office  in 
London. 

The  office  is  dingy.  Many  offices  are  so.  Two 
clerks  are  sitting  in  it  making  faces  at  each  other 
across  their  desk.  They  are  not  lunatics.  They 
are  not  imbeciles  or  idlers.  On  the  contrary,  they 
have  frequent  spells  of  work  that  might  throw  the 
toils  of  an  Arab  ass  into  the  shade.  They  are  fine 
strapping  young  fellows,  with  pent-up  energies  equal 
to  anything,  but  afflicted  with  occasional  periods  of 
having  nothing  particular  to  do.  These  two  have 
been  sitting  all  morning  in  busy  idleness.  Their 
muscular  and  nervous  systems  rebelling,  have  in- 
duced much  fidgeting  and  many  wry  faces.  Being 
original,  they  have  turned  their  sorrows  into  a  game, 
and  their  little  game  at  present  is  to  see  which  can 


32  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

make  a  face  so  hideous  that  the  other  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  laugh  !  We  have  deep  sympathy  with 
clerks.  We  have  been  a  clerk,  and  knov/  what  it  is 
to  have  the  fires  of  Vesuvius  raging  within,  while 
under  the  necessity  of  exhibiting  the  cool  aspect  of 
Spitzbergen  without. 

But  these  clerks  were  not  utterly  miserable.  On 
the  contrary,  they  were,  to  use  one  of  their  own 
familiar  phrases,  rather  jolly  than  otherwise.  Even- 
ing was  before  them  in  far-off  but  attainable  per- 
spective. Home,  lawn-tennis,  in  connection  with 
bright  eyes  and  pretty  faces,  would  compensate  for 
the  labours  of  the  day  and  let  off  the  steam.  They 
were  deep  in  their  game  when  a  rap  at  the  door 
brought  their  faces  suddenly  to  a  state  of  nature. 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  first  clerk, 

"  And  wipe  your  feet,"  murmured  the  second,  in 
a  low  tone. 

A  sentleman,  with  an  earnest  countenance, 
entered, 

"  Is  Mr.  Lowstoft  in  his  office  ?  " 

"  He  is,  sir,"  said  the  first  clerk,  descending  from 
his  perch  with  an  air  of  good- will,  and  requesting 
the  visitor's  name  and  business. 

The  visitor  handed  his  card,  on  which  the  name 
Cyrus  Field  was  written,  and  the  clerk,  observing 
it,  admitted  the  owner  at  once  to  the  inner  sanctum 
where  Mr.  Lowstoft  transacted  business. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  33 

"  There 's  something  up,"  murmured  the  clerk,  with 
a  mysterious  look  at  his  comrade,  on  resuming  his 
perch. 

"  Time  's  up,  or  nearly  so,"  replied  the  comrade, 
with  an  anxious  look  at  the  clock  ; 

"  The  witching  hour  which  sets  us  free 
To  saunter  home  and  have  our  tea — 

approaches." 

"  D'  you  know  that  that  is  Cyrus  Field  ?"  said  the 
first  clerk. 

"  And  who  is  Cyrus  Field  ?"  demanded  the  second 
clerk. 

"  0  ignoramus  !  Thy  name  is  Bob,  and  thou  art 
not  worth  a  *  bob ' — miserable  snob  !  Don't  you 
know  that  Cyrus  Field  is  the  man  who  brought 
about  the  laying  of  the  great  Atlantic  Cable  in 
1858  V 

"  No,  most  learned  Fred,  I  did  not  know  that, 
but  I  am  very  glad  to  know  it  now.  Moreover,  I 
know  nothing  whatever  about  cables — Atlantic 
or  otherwise.  I  am  as  blind  as  a  bat,  as 
ignorant  as  a  bigot,  as  empty  as  a  soap-bubble, 
and  as  wise  as  Solomon,  because  I  'm  willing  to  be 
taught." 

"  What  a  delicious  subject  to  work  upon ! "  said 
Fred. 

"  Well  then,  work  away,"  returned  Bob  ;  "  suppose 
you  give  me  a  discourse  on  Cables.     But,  I  say — be 

c 


34  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

merciful.  Don't  overdo  it,  Frederick.  Eemember 
that  my  capacity  is  feeble." 

"  I  '11  be  careful,  Bob. — Well  then,  you  must  know 
that  from  the  year  1840  submarine  cables  had  been 
tried  and  laid,  and  worked  with  more  or  less  suc- 
cess, in  various  parts  of  the  world.  Sir  W. 
O'Shaughnessy,  I  believe,  began  it.  Irishmen  are 
frequently  at  the  root  of  mischief !  Anyhow,  he, 
being  Superintendent  of  Electric  Telegraphs  in 
India  in  1839,  hauled  an  insulated  wire  across  the 
Hooghly  at  Calcutta,  and  produced  what  they  call 
'  electrical  phenomena '  at  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  In  1840  Mr.  Wheatstone  brought  before 
the  House  of  Commons  the  project  of  a  cable  from 
Dover  to  Calais.  In  1842  Professor  Morse  of 
America  laid  a  cable  in  New  York  harbour,  and 
another  across  the  canal  at  Washington.  He  also 
suggested  the  possibility  of  laying  a  cable  across 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  In  1846  Colonel  Colt,  of 
revolver  notoriety,  and  Mr.  Robinson  laid  a  wire 
from  New  York  to  Brooklyn,  and  from  Long 
Island  to  Correy  Island.     In  1849 — " 

"  I  say,  Fred,"  interrupted  Bob,  with  an  anxious 
look,  "  you  are  a  walking  dictionary  of  dates. 
Haydn  was  nothing  to  you.  But — couldn't  you 
give  it  me  without  dates  ?  I  've  got  no  head  for 
dates ;  never  could  stomach  them — except  when 
fresh  off  the  palm-tree.     Don't  you  think  that  a 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  35 

lecture  without  dates  would  be  pleasantly  original 
as  well  as  instructive  ?  " 

"  No,  Bob,  I  don't,  and  I  won't  be  guilty  of  any 
such  gross  innovation  on  time-honoured  custom. 
You  must  swallow  my  dates  whether  you  like  them 
or  not.     In  1849,  I  say,  a  Mr.  Walker—" 

"Any  relation  to  Hookey  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  none  whatever — he  laid  a  wire  from 
Folkestone  to  a  steamer  two  miles  off  the  shore,  and 
sent  messages  to  it.  At  last,  in  1851,  Mr.  Brett 
laid  down  and  successfully  wrought  the  cable 
between  Dover  and  Calais  which  had  been  sug- 
gested by  Wheatstone  eleven  years  before.  It  is 
true  it  did  not  work  long,  but  this  may  be  said  to 
have  been  the  beginning  of  submarine  telegraphy, 
which,  you  see,  like  your  own  education.  Bob,  has 
been  a  thing  of  slow  growth." 

"  Have  you  done  with  dates,  now,  my  learned 
friend  ? "  asked  Bob,  attempting  to  balance  a  ruler 
on  the  point  of  his  nose. 

"  Not  quite,  my  ignorant  chum,  but  nearly. 
That  same  year — 1851  remember — a  Mr.  Frederick 
N.  Gisborne,  an  English  electrician,  made  the 
first  attempt  to  connect  Newfoundland  with  the 
American  continent  by  cable.  He  also  started  a 
company  to  facilitate  intercourse  between  America 
and  Ireland  by  means  of  steamers  and  telegraph 
cables.     Gisborne  was  very  energetic  and  success- 


36  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

ful,  but  got  into  pecuniary  difficulties,  and  went  to 
New  York  to  raise  the  wind.  There  he  met  with 
Cyrus  Field,  who  took  the  matter  up  with 
tremendous  enthusiasm.  He  expanded  Gisborne's 
idea,  and  resolved  to  get  up  a  company  to  connect 
Newfoundland  with  Ireland  by  electric  cable. 
Field  was  rich  and  influential,  and  ultimately  suc- 
cessful— " 

"  Ah  !  would  that  you  and  I  were  rich,  Fred," 
interrupted  Bob,  as  he  let  fall  the  ruler  with  a 
crash  on  the  red-ink  bottle,  and  overturned  it; 
"  but  go  on,  Fred,  I  'm  getting  interested ;  pardon 
the  interruption,  and  never  mind  the  ink,  I  'U  swab 
it  up. — He  was  successful,  was  he  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  was ;  eminently  so.  He  first  of  all  roused 
his  friends  in  the  States,  and  got  up,  in  1856,  the 
'New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph 
Company,'  which  carried  a  line  of  telegraph  through 
the  British  Provinces,  and  across  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland — more  than 
1000  miles — at  a  cost  of  about  £500,000.  Then  he 
came  over  to  England  and  roused  the  British  Lion, 
with  whose  aid  he  started  the  *  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Company,'  and  fairly  began  the  work,  backed  by 
such  men  as  Brett,  Bidden,  Stephenson,  Brunei, 
Glass,  Eliot,  Morse,  Bright,  Whitehouse,  and  a  host 
of  others.  But  all  this  was  not  done  in  a  day. 
Cyrus  Field  laboured  for  years  among  preliminaries, 


THE  BATTEllY  AND  THE  BOILER.  37 

and  it  was  not  until  1857  that  a  regular  attempt 
was  made  to  lay  an  Atlantic  cable.  It  failed, 
because  the  cable  broke  and  was  lost.  A  second 
attempt  was  made  in  1858,  and  was  successful.  In 
that  year,  my  boy,  Ireland  and  Newfoundland  were 
married,  and  on  the  5th  of  August  the  first  electric 
message  passed  between  the  Old  World  and  the  New, 
through  a  small  wire,  over  a  distance  of  above  2000 
miles.  But  the  triumph  of  Field  and  his  friends 
was  short-lived,  for,  soon  after,  something  went 
wrong  with  the  cable,  and  on  the  6th  September 
it  ceased  to  work." 

"  What  a  pity  ! "  exclaimed  Bob ;  "  so  it  all  went 
off  in  smoke." 

"Not  quite  that,  Bob.  Before  the  cable  struck 
work  about  400  messages  had  been  sent,  which 
proved  its  value  in  a  financial  point  of  view,  and 
one  of  these  messages — sent  from  London  in  the 
morning  and  reaching  Halifax  the  same  day — 
directed  that  '  the  6 2d  Regiment  was  not  to 
return  to  England,'  and  it  is  said  that  this  timely 
warning  saved  the  country  an  expenditure  of 
£50,000.  But  the  failure,  instead  of  damping, 
has  evidently  stimulated  the  energies  of  Mr.  Field, 
who  has  been  going  about  between  America  and 
England  ever  since,  stirring  people  up  far  and  near 
to  raise  the  funds  necessary  for  another  attempt. 
He  gives  himself  no  rest;  has  embarked  his  own 


38  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

fortune  in  the  affair,  and  now,  at  this  moment, 
in  this  year  of  grace  1865,  is  doing  his  best,  I 
have  no  doubt,  to  induce  our  governor,  Mr.  Lows- 
toft,  to  embark  in  the  same  boat  with  himself." 

It  would  seem  as  if  Fred  had  been  suddenly 
endowed  with  the  gift  of  second- sight,  for  at  that 
moment  the  door  o:^his  employer's  room  opened, 
and  Mr.  Lowstoft  came  out,  saying  to  his  visitor, 
in  the  most  friendly  tones,  that  he  had  the  deepest 
sympathy  with  his  self-sacrificing  efforts,  and  with 
the  noble  work  to  which  he  had  devoted  himself. 

Bob,  in  a  burst  of  sudden  enthusiasm,  leaped  off 
his  stool,  opened  the  office-door,  and  muttered 
something  as  the  distinguished  visitor  passed  him. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  said  Mr.  Field,  checking  himself, 
"  what  did  you  say  ? " 

"  I — I  wish  you  good  luck,  sir,  with — with  the 
new  cable,"  stammered  the  clerk,  blushing  deeply. 

"  Thank  you,  lad— thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Field, 
with  a  pleasant  smile  and  nod,  as  he  went  away. 

"  Mr.  Sime,"  said  Mr.  Lowstoft  to  Bob,  turning 
at  the  door  of  his  room,  "  send  young  Wright 
to  me." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  obedient  Bob,  going  to  a 
corner  of  the  room  and  applying  his  lip's  to  a 
speaking-tube. 

Now  young  Wright  was  none  other  than  our 
hero  Eobin  grown  up  to  the  mature  age  of  fifteen. 


THE  BATTELY  AND  THE  BOILER.  39 

He  was  perched  on  tlie  top  of  a  three-legged 
stool,  and,  from  the  slow  and  intensely  earnest 
manner  in  which  his  head  turned  from  side  to  side 
as  he  wrote?  it  was  quite  evident  that  he  dotted 
all  his  i'&  and  stroked  all  his  ^'s  with  conscientious 
care.  As  he  sat  there — a  sturdy  little  broad- 
shouldered  fellow,  so  deeply  engrossed  with  his 
work  that  he  was  oblivious  of  all  around — he 
seemed  the  very  heau-iddal  of  a  painstaking,  hard- 
working clerk.  So  deeply  was  he  engrossed  in  his 
subject — the  copying  of  an  invoice — that  he  failed 
to  hear  the  voice  of  his  fellow-clerk,  although  the 
end  of  the  speaking-tube  was  not  far  from  where 
he  sat.  After  listening  a  few  seconds  at  the  other 
end  of  the  tube.  Bob  Sime  repeated  the  summons 
with  such  vigour  that  Eobin  leaped  from  his  stool 
as  though  he  had  received  one  of  his  favourite 
electric  shocks.  A  minute  later  he  stood  in  the 
presence  of  the  Head  of  the  House. 

"  Eobert  Wright,"  said  the  Head,  pushing  his 
spectacles  up  on  his  brow,  "  I  shall  be  sorry  to  lose 
your  services,  but — " 

He  paused  and  turned  over  the  papers  before  him, 
as  if  searching  for  something,  and  Eobin's  heart  sank. 
Was  he  going  to  be  dismissed  ?  Had  he  done  any- 
thing wrong,  or  had  he  unwittingly  neglected  some 
duty  ? 

"  Ah !  here  it  is,"  resumed  Mr.  Lowstoft,  "  a  letter 


40"  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEB. 

from  a  friend  who  has  come  by  a  slight  injury  to 
his  right  hand,  and  wants  a  smart  amanuensis  and 
general  assistant.  Now  I  think  of  sending  you  to 
him,  if  you  have  no  objection." 

As  the  Head  again  paused  while  glancing  over  the 
letter,  Eobin  ventured  timidly  to  state  that  he  had 
very  strong  objections ;  that  he  was  very  much 
satisfied  with  his  situation  and  work,  and  had  no 
desire  to  change. 

Mr.  Lowstoft  did  not  appear  to  listen  to  his 
remarks,  but  said  suddenly — 

"You've  studied  the  science  of  electricity,  I  be- 
lieve?" 

"  Yes,  sir — to  some  extent,"  answered  the  lad,  with 
a  look  of  surprise. 

"  I  know  you  have.  Your  father  has  told  me 
about  your  tastes  and  studies.  You've  heard  of 
Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  I  presume  ?" 

"  Indeed  I  have,"  said  Eobin,  brightening  up,  "  it 
was  through  his  efforts  that  the  Atlantic  Cable  was 
laid  in  1858 — which  unfortunately  went  wrong." 

"Well,  my  boy,  it  is  through  his  efforts  that 
another  cable  is  to  be  laid  in  this  year  1865,  which 
we  all  hope  sincerely  won't  go  wrong,  and  my  friend, 
who  wants  an  assistant,  is  one  of  the  electricians 
connected  with  the  new  expedition.  Would  you 
like  to  go  ?" 

Kobin's  eyes  blazed,  and  he  could  scarcely  find 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  41 

breath  or  words  to  express  his  willingness — if  his 
father  did  not  object. 

"  Go  home  at  once,  then,  and  ask  leave,  for  the 
Great  Eastern  is  almost  ready  for  sea,  and  you  will 
have  to  hasten  your  preparations." 

Eobin  stroked  no  more  ^'s  and  dotted  no  more  i's 
that  day.  We  fear,  indeed,  that  he  even  left  the 
invoice  on  his  desk  unfinished,  with  the  last  i 
imperfect. 

Bursting  into  his  father's  house,  he  found  Madge 
— now  become  a  pretty  little  slip  of  feminine 
thread-paper— seated  at  the  piano  agonising  over 
a  chord  which  her  hand  was  too  small  to  com- 
pass. 

"Madge,  Madge,  cousin  Madge!"  he  shouted, 
seizing  both  the  extended  little  hands  and  kissing 
the  musical  wrinkles  from  her  brow, "  why  am  I  like 
a  magnet  ?     You  '11  never  guess." 

"Because  you  attract  everybody  to  you,"  said 
Madge  promptly. 

"  Pooh !  not  at  all.  A  magnet  doesn't  attract 
eveiy  body.  It  has  two  poles,  don't  you  know,  and 
repels  some  bodies.  No,  Madge,  it 's  because  I  have 
been  electrified." 

"  Indeed  ?  and  what  has  electrified  you,  Eobin  V 

"  The  Atlantic  Cable,  Madge." 

"  Well,  that  ought  to  be  able  to  do  it  powerfully," 
returned  Madge,  with  a  laugh ; "  but  tell  me  all  about 


42  THE  BATTERY  A.ND  THE  BOILER. 

it,  and  don't  make  more  bad  conundrums.  I  'm  sure 
something  has  happened.     What  is  it  ?" 

Mrs.  Wright,  entering  at  the  moment,  her  son 
calmed  himself  as  well  as  he  could,  and  sat  down  to 
tell  his  tale  and  talk  the  matter  over. 

"Now,  what  think  you,  mother?  Will  father 
consent  ?" 

"  I  think  he  will,  Robin,  but  before  going  into  the 
matter  further,  I  will  lay  it  before  our  Father  in 
heaven.  He  must  show  us  the  way,  if  we  are  to  go 
right." 

According  to  invariable  custom,  Robin's  mother 
retired  to  her  own  room  to  consider  the  proposal. 
Thereafter  she  had  a  long  talk  with  her  husband, 
and  the  result  was  that  on  the  following  day  our 
hero  found  himself  in  a  train  with  a  small  new 
portmanteau  by  his  side,  a  new  billy-cock  hat  on 
his  head,  a  very  small  new  purse  in  his  pocket,  with 
a  remarkably  small  sum  of  money  therein,  and  a 
light  yet  full  heart  in  his  breast.  He  was  on  his 
way  to  the  Nore,  where  the  Great  Eastern  lay,  like 
an  antediluvian  macaroni-eater,  gorging  itself  with 
innumerable  miles  of  Atlantic  Cable. 

To  say  truth,  Robin's  breast — capacious  though 
it  was  for  his  size — could  hardly  contain  his  heart 
that  day.  The  dream  of  his  childhood  was  about  to 
be  realised  !  He  had  thirsted  for  knowledge.  He 
had  acquired  all   that  was  possible  in  his  father's 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  43 

limited  circumstances.  He  had,  moreover,  with  the 
valuable  assistance  of  Sam  Shipton,  become  deeply 
learned  in  electrical  science.  He  had  longed  with 
all  his  heart  to  become  an  electrician — quite  ready, 
if  need  were,  to  commence  as  sweeper  of  a  telegraph- 
office,  but  he  had  come  to  regard  his  desires  as  too 
ambitious,  and,  accepting  his  lot  in  life  with  the 
quiet  contentment  taught  him  by  his  mother,  had 
entered  on  a  clerkship  in  a  mercantile  house,  and  had 
perched  himself,  with  a  little  sigh  no  doubt,  yet 
cheerfully,  on  the  top  of  a  three-legged  stool.  To 
this  stool  he  had  been  so  long  attached— physically 
— that  he  had  begun  to  regard  it  almost  as  part  and 
parcel  of  himself,  and  had  made  up  his  mind  that  he 
would  have  to  stick  to  it  through  life.  He  even 
sometimes  took  a  quaint  view  of  the  matter,  and  tried 
to  imagine  that  through  long  habit  it  would  stick  to 
him  at  last,  and  oblige  him  to  carry  it  about  sticking 
straight  out  behind  him  ;  perhaps  even  require  him 
to  take  it  to  bed  with  him,  in  which  case  he  some- 
times tried  to  imagine  what  would  be  the  precise 
effect  on  the  bedclothes  if  he  were  to  turn  from  one 
side  to  the  other.  Thus  had  his  life  been  projected 
in  grey  perspective  to  his  mental  eye. 

But  now — he  actually  was  an  electrician-elect ; 

on  his  way  to  join  the  biggest  ship  in  the  world,  to 

•aid  in  laying  the  greatest  telegraph  cable  in  the 

world,  in  company  with  some  of  the  greatest  men 


ii  ~        THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

in  the  universe  !  It  was  almost  too  much  for  him. 
He  thirsted  for  sympathy.  He  wanted  to  let  off  his 
feelings  in  a  cheer,  but  life  in  a  lunatic  asylum 
presented  itself,  and  he  refrained.  There  was  a 
rough-looking  sailor  lad  about  his  own  age,  but 
much  bigger,  on  the  seat  opposite  (it  was  a  third 
class).  He  thought  of  pouring  out  his  feelings  on 
him — but  prudence  prevented.  There  is  no  saying 
what  might  have  been  the  result,  figuratively  speak- 
ing, to  his  boiler  if  the  sailor  lad  had  not  of  his  own 
accord  opened  a  safety-valve. 

"You  seems  pretty  bobbish  this  morning,  young 
feller,"  he  said,  after  contemplating  his  vis-ct-vis  for 
a  long  time  in  critical  silence.  "  Bin  an'  took  too 
much,  eh?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Eobin,  somewhat 
puzzled. 

"  You  're  pritty  considerable  jolly,  I  say,"  returned 
the  lad,  who  had  an  honest,  ugly  face,  and  was 
somewhat  blunt  and  gruff  in  manner. 

"  I  am  indeed  very  jolly,"  said  Robin,  with  a 
bland  smile,  "  for  I  'm  going  to  help  to  lay  the  great 
Atlantic  Cable." 

"  Wot 's  that  you  say  ? "  demanded  the  lad,  with 
sudden  animation. 

Eobin  repeated  his  remark. 

"Well,  now,  that  is  a  go!  Why,  I'm  goin'  to' 
help  lay  the  great  Atlantic  Cable  too.     I'm  one  o'^ 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  45 

the  stooard's  boys.  What  may  you  be,  young 
feller  ?" 

"  Me  ?  Oh  !  I'm — I — why,  I'm  on  the  electrical 
staff.  I  'm  " — he  thought  of  the  word  secretary,  but 
a  feeling  of  modesty  induced  him  to  say — "  assistant 
to  one  of  the  electricians." 

"  Which  un  ? "  demanded  the  lad  curtly. 

"  Mr.  Smith." 

"Mr.  Smith,  eh?  Well — it  ain't  an  unusual 
name — Smith  ain't.  P'raps  you  '11  condescend  on 
his  first  name,  for  there 's  no  less  than  three  Smiths 
among  the  electricians. 

"  Ebenezer  Smith,  I  believe,"  said  Eobin. 

"  Ebbysneezer  Smith — eh  ?  well,  upon  my  word 
that's  a  Smith-mixtur  that  I've  never  heerd  on 
before.  I  don't  know  'im,  but  he's  all  right,  I 
dessay.     They  're  a  rum  lot  altogether." 

Whether  this  compliment  was  meant  for  the  great 
Smith  family  in  general,  or  the  electrical  branch  in 
particular,  Eobin  could  not  guess,  and  did  not  like 
to  ask.  Having  thus  far  opened  his  heart,  however, 
he  began  to  pour  out  its  contents,  and  found  that 
the  ugly  sailor  lad  was  a  much  more  sympathetic 
soul  than  he  had  been  led  to  expect  from  his  looks. 
Having  told  his  own  name,  he  asked  that  of  his 
companion  in  return. 

"My  name— oh  !  it's  Slagg — Jim  Slagg;  James 
when   you   wants  to   be   respeckful — Slagg   when 


46  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

familiar.  I  'm  the  son  o'  Jim  Slagg,  senior.  Who 
he  was  the  son  of  is  best  known  to  them  as  under- 
stands the  science  of  jinnylology.  But  it  don't 
much  matter,  for  we  all  runs  back  to  Adam  an' 
Eve  somehow.  They  called  me  after  father,  of 
course ;  but  to  make  a  distinction  they  calls  him 
Jimmy — bein'  more  respeckfal-like, — and  me  Jim. 
It  ain't  a  name  much  to  boast  of,  but  I  wouldn't 
change  it  with  you,  young  feller,  though  Eobert 
ain't  a  bad  name  neither.  It's  pretty  well  known, 
you  see,  an'  that 's  somethin'.  Then,  it 's  bin  bore 
by  great  men.  Let  me  think — wasn't  there  a 
Eobert  the  Great  once?" 

"  I  fear  not,"  said  Eobin ;  "  he  is  yet  in  the  womb 
of  Time." 
.-^^^  "  Ah,  well,  no  matter ;  but  there  should  have  bin 
''a  Eobert  the  Great  before  now.  Anyhow,  there 
was  Eobert  the  Bruce — he  was  a  king,  warn't  he, 
an'  a  skull-cracker?  Then  there  was  Eobert 
Stephenson,  the  great  engineer — he  's  livin'  yet ; 
an'  there  was  Eobert  the — the  Devil,  but  I  raither 
fear  he  must  have  bin  a  bad  'un,  he  must,  so  we 
won't  count  him.  Of  course,  they  gave  you  another 
name,  for  short — ;  ah,  Eobin !  I  thought  so. 
Well,  that  ain't  a  bad  name  neither.  There  was 
Eobin  Hood,  you  know,  what  draw'd  the  long-bow 
a  deal  better  than  the  worst  penny-a-liner  as  ever 
mended  a  quill.     An'  there  was  a  Eobin  Goodfellow, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  47 

though  I  don't  rightly  remember  who  he  was 
exactly." 

"  One  of  Shakespeare's  characters,"  interposed 
Eobin. 

"  Jus'  so — well,  he  couldn't  have  bin  a  bad  fel- 
low, you  know.  Then,  as  to  your  other  name, 
Wright — that 's  all  right,  you  know,  and  might  have 
bin  writer  if  you  'd  taken  to  the  quill  or  the  law. 
Anyhow,  as  long  as  you  're  Wright,  of  course  you 
can't  be  wrong — eh,  young  feller  ?" 

Jim  Slagg  was  so  tickled  with  this  sudden  sally 
that  he  laughed,  and  in  so  doing  shut  his  little  eyes, 
and  opened  an  enormous  mouth,  fully  furnished 
with  an  unbroken  set  of  splendid  teeth. 

Thus  pleasantly  did  Robin  while  away  the  time 
with  his  future  shipmate  until  he  arrived  at  the 
end  of  his  journey,  when  he  parted  from  Jim 
Slagg  and  was  met  by  Ebenezer  Smith. 

That  energetic  electrician,  instead  of  at  once 
taking  him  on  board  the  Great  Eastern,  took  him 
to  a  small  inn,  where  he  gave  him  his  tea  and  put 
him  through  a  rather  severe  electrical  examination, 
out  of  which  our  anxious  hero  emerged  with 
credit. 

"  You  '11  do,  Robin,"  said  his  examiner,  who  was 
a  free-and-easy  yet  kindly  electrician,  "  but  you 
want  instruction  in  many  things." 

"  Indeed  I  do,  sir,"  said  Robin.  "  for  I  have  had 


48  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

no  regular  education  in  the  science,  but  I  hope,  if 
you  direct  me  what  to  study,  that  I  shall  improve." 

"No  doubt  you  will,  my  boy.  Meanwhile,  as 
the  big  ship  won't  be  ready  to  start  for  some  time, 
I  want  you  to  go  to  the  works  of  the  Telegraph  Con- 
struction and  Maintenance  Company,  see  the  mak- 
ing of  the  cable,  learn  all  you  can,  and  write  me  a 
careful  account  of  all  that  you  see  and  all  that  you 
think  about  it." 

Eobin  could  not  repress  a  smile. 

"  Why,  boy,  what  are  you  laughing  at?"  demanded 
Mr.  Smith,  somewhat  sternly. 

Eobin  blushed  deep  scarlet  as  he  replied — 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,  but  you  said  I  am  to  write 
down  all  that  I  think  about  it." 

"  Well,  what  then  ?" 

"  I — I  'm  afraid,  sir,"  stammered  Eobin,  "  that  if 
I  write  down  all  I  think  about  the  Atlantic  Cable, 
as  well  as  all  that  I  see,  I  shall  require  a  very  long 
time  indeed,  and  a  pretty  large  volume." 

Mr.  Smith  gazed  at  our  hero  for  some  time  with 
uplifted  brows,  then  he  shook  his  head  "slowly  and 
frowned,  then  he  nodded  it  slightly  and  smiled. 
After  that  he  laughed,  or  rather  chuckled,  and 
said — 

"  Well,  you  may  go  now,  and  do  what  I  have  told 
you — only  omitting  most  of  what  you  think.  A 
small   portion   of  that   will   suffice !     Don't  hurry 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  49 

back.  Go  home  and  make  a  fair  copy  of  your 
observations  and — thoughts.  1 11  write  when  I 
require  you.  Stay — your  address  ?  Ah  !  I  have  it 
in  my  note-book.  AVhat  's  your  first  name,  Mister 
Wright?" 

Eobin  grew  two  inches  taller,  or  more,  on  the 
spot ;  he  had  never  been  called  Mister  before, 
except  in  jest ! 

"  Eobert,  sir,"  he  replied. 

"Eobert— ha!  h'm !  I'll  call  you  Bob.  I 
never  could  stand  ceremony,  so  you  '11  accustom 
yourself  to  the  new  name  as  quickly  as  you  can — 
but  perhaps  it 's  not  new  to  you  ?" 

"  Please,  sir,  I  've  been  used  to  Eobin ;  if  you 
have  no  objection,  I  should — " 

"  No  objection — of  course  not,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Smith ;  "  Eobin  will  do  quite  as  well,  though  a  little 
longer ;  but  that 's  no  matter.  Good-bye,  Eobin, 
and — and — don't  think  too  hard.  It  sometimes 
hurts  digestion ;  good-bye." 

"  Well,  what  d'ee  think  of  Ebbysneezer  Smith,  my 
electrical  toolip?"  asked  Jim  Slagg,  whom  Eobin 
encountered  again  at  the  station.  "  He 's  a  wiry 
subject,  I  s'pose,  like  the  rest  of  'em  ?" 

"  He 's  a  very  pleasant  gentleman,"  answered 
Eobin  warmly. 

"  Oh,  of  coorse  he  is.  All  the  Smiths  are  so — more 
or  less.     They  're  a  glorious  family.     I  knows  at 

D 


60  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  EOILER. 

least  hali  a  dozen  of  'em  in  what  superfine  people 
call  the  '  slums  '  of  London." 

"And  I  know  more  than  half  a  dozen  of  'em," 
retorted  Eobin,  somewhat  sharply,  "  in  what  un- 
refined people  call  the  /iaristocracy  of  London." 

"Whew  !"  whistled  Mister  Slagg,  gazing  at  EoLin 
in  silent  surprise. 

What  the  whistle  implied  was  not  explained  at 
that  time,  because  the  locomotive  whistle  took  up 
the  tune  with  intense  violence,  causing  a  rush  to 
the  train,  in  which  the  two  lads — like  many  other 
friends — were  abruptly  parted  for  a  season. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  51 


CHAPTER    VI. 

TELLS  OP  OUR  HERO'S  VISIT  TO  TH3  GREAT  CABLE. 

EoBiN  Wright  returned  home  with  a  bounding 
heart.  Since  his  electrical  appointment  he  had 
become,  figuratively  speaking,  an  indiarubber  ball 
— a  sort  of  human  "  squash."  His  heart  bounded ; 
his  feet  bounded  ;  if  his  head  had  fallen  off  it  also 
would  have  bounded,  no  doubt. 

On  arriving  he  found  his  father's  elder  brother — 
a  retired  sea-captain  of  the  merchant  service — on  a 
visit  to  the  family. 

There  was  not  a  more  favourite  uncle  in  the 
kingdom  than  uncle  Rik — thus  had  his  name  of 
rdchard  been  abbreviated  by  the  Wright  family. 
Uncle  Eik  was  an  old  bachelor,  and  as  bald  as  a 
baby — more  so  than  many  babies.  He  was  good- 
humoured  and  liberal-hearted,  but  a  settled  un- 
believer in  the  world's  progress.  He  idolised  the 
"  good  old  times,"  and  quite  pleasantly  scorned  the 
"  present." 

So,  so,  Eobin/'  he  said,  grasping  our  hero  by 


62  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEIt. 

both  hands  (and  uncle  Eik's  grasp  was  no  joke), 
"you're  goin'  in  for  batteries — galvanic  batteries 
an'  wires,  are  you  ?  Well,  lad,  I  always  thought  you 
more  or  less  of  a  fool,  but  I  never  thought  you 
such  a  born  idiot  as  that  comes  to." 

"  Yes,  uncle,"  said  Robin,  with  a  pleasant  laugh, 
for  he  was  used  to  the  old  captain's  plain  language, 
"  I  'm  going  to  be  an  electrician." 

"  Bah  !  pooh ! — an  electrician  ! "  exclaimed  uncle 
Eik  with  vehemence,  "  as  well  set  up  for  a  magician 
at  once." 

"  Indeed  he  won't  be  far  short  of  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Wright,  who  was  seated  at  the  tea-table  with  her 
husband  and  Madge — "  at  least,"  she  added,  "  if  all 
be  true  that  we  hear  of  this  wonderful  science." 

"If  only  half  of  it  be  true,"  interjected  Mr. 
Wright. 

"  But  it  aint  true,"  said  Captain  Eik  firmly. 
"  They  talk  a  deal  of  stuff  about  it,  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  which  is  lies — pure  fable.  I  don't 
believe  in  electricity;  more  than  that,  I  don't 
believe  in  steam.  Batteries  and  boilers  are  both 
bosh!" 

"  But,  uncle,  you  can't  deny  that  they  exist,"  said 
Eobin 

"  Of  course  not,"  replied  the  captain.  "  I  know 
as  well  as  you  do — maybe  better — that  there  's  a 
heap  o'  telegraph-wires  rove  about  the  world  like 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.        53 

great  spiders*  webs,  and  that  there  are  steamboats 
bummin'  an'  buzzin' — ay,  an'  bu'stin'  too — all  over 
the  ocean,  like  huge  wasps,  an'  a  pretty  mess  they 
make  of  it  too  among  them !  Why,  there  was  a 
poor  old  lady  the  other  day  that  was  indooced  by  a 
young  nephy  to  send  a  telegraphic  message  to  her 
husband  in  Manchester — she  bein'  in  London,  She 
was  very  unwillin'  to  do  it,  bein'  half  inclined  to 
regard  the  telegraph  as  a  plant  from  the  lower 
regions.  The  message  sent  was,  '  Your  lovin'  wife 
hopes  you  '11  be  home  to-morrow.'  It  reached  the 
husband,  '  Your  lowerin'  wife  hopes  you  '11  be  hung 
to-morrow.*  Bad  writin'  and  a  useless  flourish  at 
the  e  turned  home  into  hung.  The  puzzled  husband 
telegraphs,  in  reply,  '  Mistake  somewhere — all  right 
— shall  be  back  three  o'clock — to-morrow — kind 
love.'  And  how  d'ye  think  this  reached  the  old 
lady  ? — *  Mistake  somewhere — all  night — stabbed  in 
back — through  cloak — two  more  rows — killed,  love/ 
Now,  d'you  call  that  successful  telegraphing?" 

"  Not  very,"  admitted  Eobin,  with  a  laugh,  "  but. 
of  the  thousands  of  messages  that  pass  to  and  fro 
daily  there  cannot  be  many  like  these,  I  should 
think." 

"  But  what  did  the  poor  wife  do?"  asked  Madge 
anxiously. 

"  Do?"  repeated  Rik  indignantly,  as  though  the 
misfortune  were  his  own- — for  he  was  a  very  sym- 


54  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

pathetic  captain — "  do  ?  Why,  she  gave  a  yell  that 
nigh  knocked  the  young  nephy  out  of  his  reason, 
and  fell  flat  on  the  floor.  When  she  came  to,  she 
bounced  up,  bore  away  for  the  railway  station  under 
full  sail,  an'  shipped  for  Manchester,  where  she 
found  her  husband,  alive  and  hearty,  pitchin'  into  a 
huge  beefsteak,  which  he  very  properly  said,  after 
recovering  from  his  first  surprise,  was  big  enough 
for  two."  ^ 

"  But  what  objection  have  you  to  steamers,  uncle 
Eik  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Wright;  "  I'm  sure  they  are  very 
comfortable  and  fast-going." 

"  Comfortable  and  fast-goin' !"  repeated  the  old 
sailor,  with  a  look  of  supreme  contempt,  "yes,  they're 
comfortable  enough  when  your  berth  ain't  near  the 
paddles  or  the  boilers ;  an'  they  're  fast-goin',  no 
doubt,  specially  when  they  bu'st.  But  ain't  the 
nasty  things  made  of  iron — like  kitchen  kettles? 
and  won't  that  rust  ?  an'  if  you  knock  a  hole  in  'em 
won't  they  go  down  at  once  ?  an'  if  you  clap  too 
much  on  the  safety-valves  won't  they  go  up  at  once? 
Bah  !  pooh  ! — there 's  nothin'  like  the  wooden  walls 
of  old  England.  You  may  take  the  word  of  an 
old  salt  for  it, — them  wooden  walls  will  float  and 
plough  the  ocean  when  all  these  new-fangled  iron 
pots  are  sunk  or  blowed  to  atoms.  Why,  look  ac 
the  Great  Eastern  herself,  the  biggest  kettle  of  'em 
all,  what  a  precious  mess  slu  made  of  herself !    At 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  55 

first  she  wouldn't  move  at  all,  when  they  tried  to 
launch  her ;  then  they  had  to  shove  her  off  sidewise 
like  a  crab ;  then  she  lost  her  rudder  in  a  gale,  an' 
smashed  all  her  cabin  furniture  like  a  bad  boy  with 
his  toys.  Bah  !  I  only  hope  I  may  be  there  when 
she  bu'sts,  for  it  '11  be  a  grand  explosion." 

"  I  'm  sorry  you  have  so  bad  an  opinion  of  her, 
uncle,  for  I  am  appointed  to  serve  in  the  Great 
Eastern  while  layin'  the  Atlantic  Cable." 

"  Sorry  to  hear  it,  lad ;  very  sorry  to  hear  it.  Of 
course  I  hope  for  your  sake  that  she  won't  blow 
up  on  this  voyage,  though  it 's  nothin'  more  or  less 
than  an  absurd  ship  goin'  on  a  wild-goose  chase." 

"  But,  uncle,  submarine  cables  have  now  passed 
the  period  of  experiment,"  said  Eobin,  coming 
warmly  to  the  defence  of  his  favourite  subject. 
"  Just  consider,  from  the  time  the  first  one  was  laid, 
in  1851,  between  Dover  and  Calais,  till  now,  about 
fifteen  years,  many  thousands  of  miles  of  conducting- 
wire  have  been  laid  along  the  bottom  of  the  sea  to 
many  parts  of  the  world,  and  they  are  in  full  and 
successful  operation  at  this  moment.  Why,  even 
in  1858,  when  the  first  Atlantic  Cable  wa3  laid,  the 
Gutta-percha  Company  had  made  forty-four  sub- 
marine cables." 

"  I  know  it,  lad,  but  it  won't  last.  It 's  all  sure 
to  bu'st  up  in  course  of  time." 

"  Then,  though  the  attempt  to  lay  the  last  Atlantic 


56  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Cable  proved  a  failure,"  continued  Robin,  "  the  first 
one,  the  1858  one,  was  a  success  at  the  beffinnincf. 
no  one  can  deny  that." 

"Ay,  but  how  long  did  it  last  ?"  demanded  the 
skipper,  hitting  the  table  with  his  fist. 
,   "  Oh,   please,  have  pity  on  the  tea-cups,  uncle 
Eik,"  cried  the  hostess. 

"  Beg  pardon,  sister,  but  I  can't  help  getting  riled 
■when  I  hear  younkers  talkin'  stuff.  Why,  do  you 
really  suppose,"  said  the  captain,  turning  again  to 
liobin,  "that  because  they  managed  in  '58  to  lay  a 
cable  across  the  Atlantic,  and  exchange  a  few  mes- 
sages, which  refused  to  travel  after  a  few  days,  that 
they'll  succeed  in  layin'  down  a  permanent  speakin'- 
trumpet  between  old  England  and  Noof'nland — 
2000  miles,  more  or  less — in  spite  o'  gales  an' 
currents,  an'  ships'  anchors,  an'  insects,  an'  icebergs 
an'  whales,  to  say  nothing  o'  great  sea-sarpints  an' 
suchlike?" 

"  Uncle  Eik,  I  do,"  said  Eobin,  with  intensely 
earnest  eyes  and  glowing  cheeks. 

"  Bravo  !  Eobin,  you  '11  do  it,  I  do  believe,  if  it  is 
to  be  done  at  all ;  give  us  your  hand,  lad." 

The  old  sailor's  red  countenance  beamed  with  a 
huge  smile  of  kindness  as  he  shook  his  enthusiastic 
nephew's  hand. 

"  There,"  he  added,  "  I  '11  not  say  another  word 
against  iron  kettles  or  Atlantic  cables.      If  you 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.        57 

succeed  I'll  give  batteries  and  boilers  full  credit, 
but  if  you  fail  I  '11  not  forget  to  remind  you  that  I 
said  it  would  all  bu'st  up  in  course  of  time." 

With  note-book  and  pencil  in  hand  Eobiu  went 
down  the  very  next  day  to  the  works  of  the  Tele- 
graph Construction  and  Maintenance  Company, 
where  the  great  cable  was  being  made. 

Presenting  his  letter  of  introduction  from  Mr. 
Smith,  Eobin  was  conducted  over  the  premises  by 
a  clerk,  who,  under  the  impression  that  he  was  a 
very  youthful  and  therefore  unusually  clever  news- 
paper correspondent,  treated  him  with  marked  re- 
spect. This  was  a  severe  trial  to  Robin's  modesty ; 
nevertheless  he  bore  up  manfully,  and  pulling  out 
his  note-book  prepared  for  action. 

The  reader  need  not  fear  that  we  intend  to  inflict 
on  him  Eobin's  treatise  on  what  he  styled  the 
"  Great  Atlantic  Cable,"  but  it  would  be  wrong  to 
leave  the  subject  without  recording  a  few  of  those 
points  which  made  a  deep  impression  on  him. 

"  The  cable  wdien  completed,  sir,"  said  the  clerk, 
as  he  conducted  his  visitor  to  the  factory,  "  will  be 
2300  nautical  miles  in  length." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Robin,  recording  the  statement 
with  solenm  gravity  and  gieat  accuracy ;  "  but  I 
thought,"  he  added,  "  that  the  exact  distance  from 
Ireland  to  Newfoundland  was  only  1600  miles." 

"  You  are  right,  sir,  but  we  allow  700  miles  of 


68  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

*  slack '  for  the  inequalities  of  the  bottom.  Its  cost 
■will  be  £700,000,  and  the  whole  when  finished  will 
weigh  7000  tons." 

Poor  Eobin's  mind  had,  of  course,  been  informed 
about  ton-weights  at  school,  but  he  had  not  felt 
that  he  realised  what  they  actually  signified  until 
the  thought  suddenly  occurred  that  a  cart-load  of 
coals  weighed  one  ton,  whereupon  7000  carts  of 
coals  leaped  suddenly  into  the  field  of  his  bewildered 
fancy.  A  slightly  humorous  tendency,  inherited 
from  his  mother,  induced  7000  drivers,  with  7000 
whips  and  a  like  number  of  smock-frocks,  to  mount 
the  carts  and  drive  in  into  the  capacious  hold  of  the 
Great  Eastern.  They  turned,  however,  and  drove 
instantly  off  his  brain  when  he  came  into  the 
august  presence  of  the  cable  itself. 

The  central  core  of  the  cable — that  part  by  which 
the  electric  force  or  fluid  was  to  pass  from  the  Old 
World  to  the  New,  and  vice  versa,  was  made  of 
copper.  It  was  not  a  solid,  single  wire,  but  a  strand 
composed  of  seven  fine  wires,  each  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a  small  pin.  Six  of  these  wires  were  wound 
spirally  round  the  seventh.  This  was  in  order  to 
prevent  what  is  termed  a  "  breach  of  continuity," 
for  it  will  be  at  once  perceived  that  while  a  single 
wire  of  the  core  might  easily  break  in  the  process 
of  laying  the  cable,  and  thereby  prevent  the  flow 
of   electricity,  the   probability  of  the  seven  small 


THE  BATTERY  AND  ^HE  BOILER.  59 

■wires  all  breaking  at  the  same  spot  was  so  remote 
as  to  be  almost  impossible,  and  if  even  one  wire 
out  of  tbe  seven  held,  the  continuity  would  remain. 
Nay,  even  all  the  seven  might  break,  but,  so  long 
as  they  did  not  all  break  at  the  same  place,  con- 
tinuity would  not  be  lost,  because  copper  would 
still  continue  to  touch  copper  all  throughout  the 
cable's  length. 

In  the  process  of  construction,  the  central  wire 
of  the  copper  core  was  first  covered  with  a  semi- 
liquid  coating  of  gutta-percha,  mixed  with  tar — 
known  as  "  Chatterton's  Compound."  This  was 
laid  on  so  thick  that  when  the  other  wires  were 
wound  round  it  all  air  was  excluded.  Then  a  coat- 
ing of  the  same  compound  was  laid  over  the  finished 
conductor,  and  thus  the  core  was  solidified.  Next, 
the  core  was  surrounded  with  a  coating  of  the 
purest  gutta-percha — a  splendid  non-conductor,  im- 
pervious to  water — which,  when  pressed  to  it,  while 
in  a  plastic  state,  formed  the  first  insulator  or  tube 
to  the  core.  Over  this  tube  was  laid  a  thin  coat  of 
Chatterton's  Compound  for  the  purpose  of  closing 
up  any  small  flaws  or  minute  holes  that  might  have 
escaped  detection.  Then  came  a  second  coating  of 
gutta-percha,  followed  by  another  coating  of  com- 
pound, and  so  on  alternately  until  four  coats 
of  compolind  and  four  of  gutta-percha  had  been 
laid  on. 


60  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

This  core,  when  completed,  was  wound  in  lengths 
on  large  reels,  and  was  then  submerged  in  water 
and  subjected  to  a  variety  of  severe  electrical  tests 
so  as  to  bring  it  as  near  as  possible  to  a  state  of 
perfection,  after  which  every  inch  of  it  was  ex- 
amined by  hand  while  being  unwound  from  the 
reels  and  re- wound  on  the  large  drums  on  which  it 
was  to  be  forwarded  to  the  covering  works  at  East 
Greenwich,  there  to  receive  its  external  protecting 
sheath. 

All  this,  and  much  more  besides,  did  Eobin 
Wright  carefully  note  down,  and  that  same  evening 
went  home  and  delivered  a  long  and  luminous  lecture, 
over  which  his  mother  wondered,  Madge  rejoiced, 
his  father  gloried,  and  uncle  Eik  fell  asleep. 

Next  day  he  hastened  to  the  covering  works, 
and,  presenting  his  credentials,  was  admitted. 

Here  he  saw  the  important  and  delicate  core 
again  carefully  tested  as  to  its  electrical  condition, 
after  which  it  received  a  new  jacket  of  tanned  jute 
yarn  to  protect  it  from  the  iron  top  coat  yet  to 
come.  Its  jute  jacket  on,  it  was  then  coiled  away 
in  tanks  full  of  water,  where  it  was  constantly  kept 
submerged  and  continuously  tested  for  insulation. 
Last  of  all  the  top  coat  was  put  on.  This  consisted 
of  ten  wires  of  peculiarly  fine  and  strong  iron.  Each 
of  these  ten  wires  had  put  on  it  a  special  coat  of 
its  own,  made  of  tarred  Manilla  yarn,  to  protect  it 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  61 

from  rust  as  well  as  to  lighten  its  specific  gravity. 
The  core  being  brought  from  its  tank,  and  passed 
round  several  sheaves,  which  carried  it  below  the 
factory  floor,  was  drawn  up  through  a  hole  in  the 
centre  of  a  circular  table,  around  the  circumference 
of  which  were  ten  drums  of  the  Manilla-covered 
wire.  A  stout  iron  rod,  fastened  to  the  circum- 
ference of  the  table,  rose  from  between  each  drum 
to  the  ceiling,  converging  in  a  cone  which  passed 
through  to  the  floor  above.  Our  core  rose  in  the 
middle  of  all,  and  went  through  the  hollow  of  the 
cone.  When  all  was  put  in  noisy  and  bewildering 
motion,  the  core  which  rose  from  the  turning-table 
and  whirling  drums  as  a  thin  jute-clad  line,  came 
out  in  the  floor  above  a  stout  iron-clad  cable,  with  a 
]\Ianilla  top-dressing,  possessing  strength  sufiicieut  to 
bear  eleven  miles  of  its  own  length  perpendicularly 
suspended  in  water — or  a  margin  of  strength  more 
than  four  and  a  half  times  that  required, — and  with  a 
breaking  strain  of  seven  tons  fifteen  hundredweight. 

When  thoroughly  charged  and  primed,  Eobin 
went  off  home  to  write  his  treatise. 

Then  he  received  the  expected  summons  to  repair 
on  board  the  Great  Eastern,  and  bade  adieu  to  his 
early  home. 

It  was  of  no  use  that  Eobin  tried  to  say  good- 
bye in  a  facetious  way,  and  told  Madge  and  his 
mother  not  to  cry,  saying  that  he  was  only  going 


62  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILERI 

across  the  Atlantic,  a  mere  fish-pond,  and  that  he 
would  be  home  again  in  a  month  or  two.  Ah  ! 
these  little  efforts  at  deception  never  avail.  Him- 
self broke  down  while  urging  Madge  to  behave 
herself,  and  when  his  mother  gave  him  a  small 
Bible,  and  said  she  required  no  promise,  for  she 
knew  he  would  treasure  and  read  it,  he  was  obliged 
hastily  to  give  her  a  last  fervent  hug,  and  rush 
from  the  house  without  saying  good-bye  at  alL 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  63 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  BIO  SHIP — FIRST  NIGHT  ABOARD. 

When  our  hero  at  last  reached  the  Great  Eastern, 
he  soon  found  himself  in  what  may  be  termed  a 
lost  condition.  At  first  he  was  disappointed,  for 
he  saw  her  at  a  distance,  and  it  is  well  known  that 
distance  lends  deception  as  well  as  "  enchantment 
to  the  view."  Arrived  alongside,  however,  he  felt 
as  if  he  had  suddenly  come  under  the  walls  of  a 
great  fortress  or  city. 

Presently  he  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  Big  Ship, 
as  its  familiars  called  it,  and,  from  that  moment, 
for  several  days,  was,  as  we  have  said,  in  a  lost 
condition.  He  was  lost  in  wonder,  to  begin  with, 
as  he  gazed  at  the  interminable  length  and  breadth 
of  planking  styled  the  deck,  and  the  forest  of 
funnels,  masts,  and  rigging,  and  the  amazing  per- 
spective, which  caused  men  at  the  further  end  from 
where  he  stood  to  look  like  dolls. 

Then  he  was- lost  in  reality,  when  he  went  below 
and  had  to  ask  his  way  as  though  he  were  wandering 


64  THE  BATTERY  AIsU  THE  BOILER. 

in  the  labyrinths  of  a  great  city.  lie  felt — or 
thought  he  felt — like  a  mere  mite  in  the  mighty 
vessel.  Soon  he  lost  his  old  familiar  powers  of 
comparison  and  contrast,  and  ere  long  he  lost  his 
understanding  altogether,  for  he  fell  down  one  of 
the  hatchways  into  a  dark  abyss,  where  he  would 
probably  have  ended  his  career  with  electric 
speed  if  he  had  not  happily  fallen  into  the  arms  of 
a  human  being,  with  whom  he  rolled  and  bumped 
.  affectionately,  though  painfully,  to  the  bottom  of  the 
stair. 

The  human  being,  growled  intense  disapprobation 
during  the  process,  and  Eobin  fancied  that  the  voice 
was  familiar. 

"  Come,  I  say,"  said  the  being,  remonstratively, 
"  this  is  altogether  too  loving,  you  know.  Don't 
squeeze  quite  so  tight,  young  'un,  whoever  you  be." 

"  Oh,  I  leg  your  pardon,"  gasped  Eobin,  relaxing 
his  grasp  when  they  stopped  rolling;  "I'm  so  sorry. 
I  hope  I  haven't  hurt  you." 

"  Hurt  me  !"  laughed  Jim  Slagg,  for  it  was 
he ;  "  no,  you  small  electrician,  you  'aven't  got 
battery-power  enough  to  do  me  much  damage ;  but 
what  d'  ye  mean  by  it  ?  Is  this  the  way  to  meet 
an  old  friend  ?  Is  it  right  for  a  Wright  to  go 
wrong  at  the  wery  beginnin'  of  his  career?  Bat 
come,  I  forgive  you.  Have  you  been  introdooced 
to  Capting  Anderson  yet  1" 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  65 

"Xo;  who  is  he?" 

"  Who  is  he  ?  you  ignorant  crokidile !  why,  he 's 
the  capting  of  the  Great  Eastern,  the  commander  o' 
the  Big  Ship,  the  Great  Mogul  o'  the  quarter-deck, 
the  king  o'  the  expedition.  But,  of  course,  you 
'aven't  bin  introdooced  to  him.  He  don't  associate 
much  with  small  fry  like  us — more  's  the  pity,  for 
it  might  do  'im  good.  But  come,  I  '11  take  you 
under  my  wing  for  the  present,  because  your  par- 
tikler  owner,  Ebbysneezer  Smith,  ain't  come  aboard 
yet — ashore  dissipatin',  I  suppose, — an'  every- 
body 's  so  busy  gettin'  ready  to  start  that  nobody 
will  care  to  be  bothered  with  you,  so  come 
along." 

There  was  some  truth  in  this  eccentric  youths' 
remarks,  for  in  the  bustle  of  preparation  for  an  early 
start  every  one  on  board  seemed  to  be  so  thoroughly 
engrossed  with  his  own  duty  that  he  had  no  time 
to  attend  to  anything  else,  and  Eobin  had  begun  to 
experience,  in  the  absence  of  his  "  partikler  owner," 
an  uneasy  sensation  of  being  very  much  in  people's 
way.  As  he  felt  strangely  attracted  by  the  off-hand 
good-humoured  impudence  of  his  new  friend,  he 
consented  to  follow  him,  and  was  led  to  a  small 
apartment,  somewhere  in  the  depths  of  the  mighty 
ship,  in  which  several  youths,  not  unlike  Slagg, 
were  romping.  They  had,  indeed,  duties  to  perform 
like  the  rest,  but  the  moment  chanced  to  be  with 

E 


66  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

them  a  brief  period  of  relaxation,  wliich  tliey  devoted 
to  skylarking. 

"  Hallo  !  who  have  you  got  here  ?"  demanded  a 
large  clumsy  youth,  knocking  off  Slagg's  cap  as  he 
asked  the  question. 

"Come,  Stumps,  don't  you  be  cheeky,"  said 
Slagg,  quietly  picking  up  his  cap  and  putting  it  on; 
"  this  is  a  friend  o'  mine — one  o'  the  electricians, — 
so  you  needn't  try  to  shock  his  feelin's,  for  he  can 
give  better  than  he  gets.  He 's  got  no  berth  yet, 
so  I  brought  him  here  to  show  him  hospitality." 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  said  Mr,  Stumps,  bowing  with 
mock  respect;  then,  turning  to  the  comrade  with 
whom  he  had  been  skylarking,  "  Here,  Jeff,  supply 
this  gentleman  with  food." 

Jeff,  entering  into  Stumps'  humour,  immediately 
brought  a  plate  of  broken  ship-biscuit  with  a  can 
of  water,  and  set  them  on  the  table  before  Eobin. 
Our  hero,  who  had  never  been  accustomed  to  much 
jesting,  took  the  gift  in  earnest,  thanked  Jeff 
heartily,  and,  being  hungry,  set  to  work  with  a  will 
upon  the  simple  fare,  while  Stumps  and  Jeff  looked 
at  each  other  and  winked. 

"  Conie,  I  can  add  something  to  improve  that 
feast,"  said  Slagg,  drawing  a  piece  of  cheese  from 
his  pocket,  and  setting  it  before  his  friend. 

Eobin  thanked  him,  and  was  about  to  take  the 
cheese   when  Stumps  snatched  it  up,  and  ran  ou 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  67 

of  the  room  witli  it,  laughing  coarsely  as  he 
went. 

"The  big  bully,"  growled  Slagg ;  "it's  quite 
obvious  to  me  that  feller  will  have  to  be  brought 
to  his  marrow-bones  afore  long." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Jeff,  who  was  of  a  more 
amiable  spirit  than  Stumps,  "here's  more  o'  the 
same  sort."  He  took  another  piece  of  cheese  from 
a  shelf  as  he  spoke,  and  gave  it  to  Robin. 

"Now,  my  young  toolip,"  said  Slagg,  "havin' 
finished  your  feed,  p'r'aps  you  'd  like  to  see  over 
the  big  ship." 

With  great  delight  Eobin  said  that  he  should 
like  nothing  better,  and,  being  led  forth,  was  soon 
lost  a  second  time  in  wonderment. 

Of  what  use  was  it  that  Slagg  told  him  the 
Great  Eastern  was  692  feet  long  by  83  feet  broad, 
and  70  feet  deep?  If  he  had  said  yards  instead 
of  feet  it  would  have  been  equally  instructive 
to  Eobin  in  his  then  mentally  lost  condition. 
Neither  was  it  of  the  slightest  use  to  be  told  that 
the  weight  of  the  big  ship's  cargo,  including  cable, 
tanks,  and  coals,  was  21,000  tons. 

But  reason  began  to  glimmer  again  when  Slagg 
told  him  that  the  two  largest  vessels  afloat  could 
not  contain,  in  a  convenient  position  for  passing 
out,  the  2700  miles  then  coiled  in  the  three  tanks 
of  the  G  reat  Eastern. 


68  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

"  This  is  the  main  tank,"  said  Slagg,  leading  tiis 
friend  to  a  small  platform  that  hung  over  a  black 
and  apparently  unfathomable  gulf. 

"  I  see  nothing  at  all,"  said  Eobin,  stretching  his 
head  cautiously  forward  and  gazing  down  into  dark- 
ness profound,  while  he  held  on  tight  to  a  rail. 
"  How  curious  ! — when  I  look  down  everything 
in  this  wonderful  ship  seems  to  have  no  bottom, 
and  when  I  look  up,  nothing  appears  to  have  any 
top,  while,  if  I  look  backward  or  forward  things 
seem  to  have  no  end  !  Ah  !  I  see  something  now. 
Coming  in  from  the  light  prevented  me  at  first. 
Why,  it 's  like  a  huge  circus  !" 

"  Yes,  it  on'y  wants  bosses  an'  clowns  to  make 
it  all  complete,"  said  Slagg.  "Now,  that  tank  is 
58  feet  6  inches  in  diameter,  and  20  feet  6  inches 
deep,  an'  holds  close  upon  900  miles  of  cable. 
There  are  two  other  tanks  not  much  smaller,  all 
choke-fulL  An'  the  queer  thing  is,  that  they  can 
telegraph  through  all  its  length  now,  at  this  moment 
as  it  lies  there, — an'  they  are  doing  so  continually 
to  make  sure  that  all 's  right." 

"  Oh !  I  understand  that"  said  Eobin  quickly; 
"  I  have  read  all  about  the  laying  of  the  first  cable 
in  1858.  It  is  the  appearance  of  things  in  this 
great  ship  that  confounds  me." 

"  Come  along  then,  and  I  '11  confound  you  a  little 
more,"  said  Slagg. 


<  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  69 

He  accordingly  led  his  friend  from  one  part  of 
the  ship  to  another,  explaining  and  commenting 
as  he  went,  and  certainly  Eobin's  wonder  did  not 
decrease. 

From  the  grand  saloon — which  was  like  a  palatial 
drawing-room,  in  size  as  well  as  in  gorgeons  furni- 
ture— to  the  mighty  cranks  and  boilers  of  its 
engines,  everything  in  and  about  the  ship  was 
calculated  to  amaze.  As  Slagg  justly  remarked, 
"It  was  stunnin'." 

When  our  hero  was  saturated  with  the  "Big 
Ship  "  till  he  could  hold  no  more,  his  friend  took 
him  back  to  his  berth,  and  left  him  there  for  a  time 
to  his  meditations. 

Eeturniug  soon  after,  he  sat  down  on  a  locker. 

"  I  say,  Eobin  Wright,"  he  began,  thrusting  his 
hands  into  his  trousers-pockets,  "it  looks  a'most  as 
if  I  had  smuggled  you  aboard  of  this  ship  like  a 
stowaway.  Nobody  seems  to  know  you  are  here, 
an'  what 's  more,  nobody  seems  to  care.  Your 
partikler  owner  ain't  turned  up  yet,  an'  it 's  my 
opinion  he  won't  turn  up  to-night,  so  I  've  spoke 
to  the  stooard — he  's  my  owner,  you  know — an'  he 
says  you'd  better  just  turn  into  my  berth  to-niglit, 
an'  you  '11  get  showed  into  your  own  to-morrow." 

"  But  where  will  you  sleep  ? "  asked  Eobin,  with 
some  hesitation. 

"  I^ever  you  mind  that,   my  young  electrician. 


70  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

That 's  my  business.     What  you  've  got  to  do  is  to 
turn  in." 

Jeff  and  another  lad,  who  were  preparing  to 
retire  for  the  night  at  the  time,  laughed  at  this, 
but  Eobin  paid  no  attention,  thanked  his  friend, 
and  said  that  as  he  was  rather  tired  he  would 
accept  his  kind  offer. 

Thereafter,  pulling  out  the  small  Bible  which  he 
had  kept  in  his  pocket  since  leaving  home,  he  went 
into  a  corner,  read  a  few  verses,  and  then  knelt 
down  to  pray. 

The  surprise  of  the  other  lads  was  expressed  in 
their  eyes,  but  they  said  nothing. 

Just  then  the  door  opened,  and  the  lad  named 
Stumps  entered.  Catching  sight  of  Eobin  on  his 
knees  he  opened  his  eyes  wide,  pursed  his  mouth, 
and  gave  a  low  whistle.  Then  he  went  up  to  Eobin 
and  gave  him  a  slight  kick.  Supposing  that  it  wa6 
an  accident,  Eobin  did  not  move,  but  on  receiving 
another  and  much  more  decided  kick  he  rose  and 
turned  round.  At  the  same  moment  Stumps 
received  a  resounding  and  totally  unexpected  slap 
on  the  cheek  from  Jim  Slagg,  who  planted  himself 
before  him  with  clenched  fists  and  flashing  eyes. 

"  What  d'  ye  mean  by  interferin'  wi'  my  friend  at 
his  dewotions,  you  monkey-faced  polypus  ?"  he 
demanded  fiercely. 

The  monkey- faced  polypus  replied  not  a  word. 


THE  BATTEllY  AND  THE  BOILER.  71 

but  delivered  a  right-hander  that  might  have  felled 
a  small  horse.  Jim  Slagg  however  was  prepared 
for  that.  He  turned  his  head  neatly  to  one  side  so 
as  to  let  the  blow  pass,  and  at  the  same  moment 
planted  his  knuckles  on  the  bridge  of  his  opponent's 
nose  and  sent  him  headlong  into  Jeff's  bunk,  which 
lay  conveniently  behind.  Jumping  furiously  out 
of  that,  and  skinning  his  shins  in  the  act.  Stumps 
rushed  at  Slagg,  who,  leaping  lightly  aside,  tripped 
him  up  and  gave  him  a  smack  on  the  left  ear  as  he 
passed,  by  way  of  keeping  him  lively. 

Unsubdued  by  this,  Stumps  gathered  himself  up 
and  made  a  blind  rush  at  his  adversary,  but  was 
abruptly  stopped  by  what  Jeff  called  a  "dab" 
on  the  nose.  Eepeating  the  rush,  Stumps  was 
staggered  by  a  plunging  blow  on  the  forehead,  and 
he  paused  to  breathe,  gazing  the  while  at  his  foe, 
who,  though  a  smaller  youth  than  himself,  was  quite 
as  strong. 

"  If  you  've  had  enough,  monkey-face,"  said  Slagg, 
with  a  bland  smile,  "don't  hesitate  to  say  so,  an' 
I'll  shake  hands;  but  if  you'd  prefer  a  little  more 
before  goin'  to  Ded,  just  let  me  know,  and — " 

Slagg  here  performed  some  neat  and  highly 
suggestive  motions  with  his  fists  by  way  of  finishing 
the  sentence. 

Evidently  Slumps  wanted  more,  for,  after  a  brief 
oause,  he  aguin  rushed  at  Slagg,  who,  stepping  aside 


72  THE  LATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

like  a  Spanish  matador,  allowed  his  foe  to  expend 
his  wrath  on  the  bulkhead  of  the  cabin. 

"You'll  go  through  it  next  time,  Stumps,  if  you 
plunge  like  that,"  said  JeS",  who  had  watched  the 
fight  with  lively  interest,  and  had  encouraged  the 
combatants  with  sundry  marks  of  applause,  besides 
giving  them  much  gratuitous  advice. 

Eegardless  alike  of  encouragement  and  advice,  the 
angry  youth  turned  round  once  more  and  received 
a  buffet  that  sent  him  sprawling  on  the  table,  off 
which  he  fell  and  rolled  under  it.  There  he  lay 
and  panted. 

"  Now,  my  sweet  polypus,"  said  the  victor,  going 
down  on  one  knee  and  patting  the  vanquished  on 
his  shoulder,  "  next  time  you  feels  tempted  to  kick 
a  gentleman — specially  a  electrician — at  his  dewo- 
tions,  think  of  Jim  Slagg  an'  restrain  yourself.  I 
bear  you  no  ill-will  however — so,  good-night." 

Saying  this,  Eobin's  champion  left  the  room  and 
Stumps  retired  to  his  berth  growling. 

Before  passing  from  this  subject,  we  may  add 
that,  the  next  night,  Eobin — whose  owner  was  still 
absent — was  again  hospitably  invited  to  share  the 
cabin  of  his  friend  and  protector.  "When  about  to 
retire  to  rest  he  considered  whether  it  was  advisable 
to  risk  the  repetition  of  the  scene  of  the  previous 
night,  and,  although  not  quite  easy  in  his  conscience 
about  it,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  73 

well  to  say  his  prayers  in  bed.  Accordingly,  he 
crept  qnietly  into  his  berth  and  lay  down,  but  Jim 
Slagg,  who  was  present,  no  sooner  saw  what  he  was 
about  than  he  jumped  up  with  a  roar  of  indigna- 
tion. 

"  What  are  you  about  ?"  he  cried,  "  ain't  you  goiu' 
to  say  your  prayers,  you  white-livered  electrician? 
Come,  git  up!  If  I'm  to  fight,  you  must  pray! 
D'  ye  hear  ?     Turn  out,  I  say." 

With  that  he  seized  Eobin,  dragged  him  out  of 
bed,  thrust  him  on  his  knees,  and  bade  him  do  his 
"  aooty." 

At  first  Eobin's  spirit  rose  in  rebellion,  but  a 
sense  of  shame  at  his  moral  cowardice,  and  a  per- 
ception of  the  justice  of  his  friend's  remark,  subdued 
him.  He  did  pray  forthwith,  though  what  the 
nature  of  his  prayer  was  we  have  never  been  able 
to  ascertain,  and  do  not  care  to  guess.  The  lesson, 
however,  was  not  lost.  From  that  date  forward 
Eobin  Wright  was  no  longer  ashamed  or  afraid  to 
be  seen  in  the  attitude  of  prayer. 


74  THE  EATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Li.TING   ^HE   CABLE — "FAULTS"   AND   FAULT-FINDING— ANXIETIK9, 
ACCIDENTS,    AND    OTHER  MATTERS. 

Come  with  us  now,  good  reader,  to  another  and 
very  different  scene — out  upon  the  boundless  sea. 
The  great  Atlantic  is  asleep,  but  his  breast  heaves 
gently  and  slowly  like  that  of  a  profound  sleeper. 

The  Great  Eastern  looks  like  an  island  on  the 
water — steady  as  a  rock,  obedient  only  to  the  rise 
and  fall  of  the  ocean  swell,  as  she  glides  along  at 
the  rate  of  six  knots  an  hour.  All  is  going  well. 
The  complicated-looking  paying-out  machinery  re- 
volves smoothly;  the  thread-like  cable  passes 
over  the  stern,  and  down  into  the  deep  with  the 
utmost  regularity. 

The  shore-end  of  the  cable — twenty-seven  miles 
in  length,  and  much  thicker  than  the  deep-sea 
portion — had  been  laid  at  Valentia,  on  the  2 2d 
CI  July,  amid  prayer  and  praise,  speech-making, 
and  much  enthusiasm,  on  the  part  of  operators 
and  spectators.     On  the  23d,  the  end  of  the  shore 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  75 

cable  was  spliced  to  that  of  the  main  cable,  and 
the  voyage  had  begun. 

The  first  night  had  passed  quietly,  and  upwards  of 
eighty  miles  of  the  cable  had  gone  out  of  the  after- 
tank,  over  the  big  ship's  stern,  and  down  to  its  ocean 
bed,  when  Eobin  Wright — unable  to  sleep — quietly 
slipped  into  his  clothes,  and  went  on  deck.  It  was 
drawing  near  to  dawn.  A  knot  of  electricians  and 
others  were  chatting  in  subdued  tones  about  the 
one  subject  that  filled  the  minds  of  all  in  the  ship. 

"What!  unable  to  sleep,  like  the  rest  of  us?" 
said  Ebenezer  Smith,  accosting  Eobin  as  be  reached 
the  deck. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Eobin,  with  a  sleepy  smile,  "  I  've 
been  thinking  of  the  cable  so  much  that  I  took  to 
dreaming  about  it  when  I  fell  asleep,  and  it  sud- 
denly turned  into  the  great  sea-serpent,  and  choked 
me  to  such  an  extent  that  I  awoke,  and  then 
thought  it  better  to  get  up  and  have  a  look  at  it." 

"  Ah !  my  boy,  you  are  not  the  only  one  whom 
the  cable  won't  let  sleep.  It  will  be  well  looked 
after  during  the  voyage,  for  there  are  two  sets  of 
electricians  aboard — all  of  them  uncommonly  wide 
awake — one  set  representing  the  Telegraph  Con- 
struction and  Maintenance  Company,  under  M.  de 
Sauty ;  the  other  set  representing  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company,  under  Mr.  Varley  and  Pro- 
fessor Thomson.     The  former  are  to  test  the  elec- 


76  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

trical  state  of  the  cable,  and  to  keep  up  signals  with 
the  shore  every  hour,  night  and  day,  during  the 
voyage,  while  the  latter  are  to  watch  and  report  as 
to  whether  the  cable  fulfils  her  conditions,  as  speci- 
fied in  the  contract.  So  you  see  the  smallest  fault 
or  hitch  will  be  observed  at  once." 

"Do  you  mean,  sir,"  asked  Robin  in  surprise, 
"  that  telegraphing  with  the  shore  is  to  be  kept  up 
continually  all  the  voyage  ?" 

"Yes,  my  boy,  I  do,"  answered  Smith.  "The 
lengths  of  the  cable  in  the  three  tanks  are  joined 
up  into  one  length,  and  telegraphing — for  the  pur- 
pose of  testing  it — has  been  kept  up  with  the  shore 
without  intermission  from  the  moment  we  left 
Ireland,  and  began  to  pay  out.  It  will  be  continued, 
if  all  goes  well,  until  we  land  the  other  end  in 
Newfoundland.  The  tests  are  threefold, — first,  for 
insulation,  which,  as  you  know,  means  the  sound- 
ness and  perfection  of  the  gutta-percha  covering  that 
prevents  the  electricity  from  escaping  from  the  wires, 
through  the  sea,  into  the  earth ;  secondly,  for  con- 
tinuity, or  the  unbroken  condition  of  the  conductor 
or  copper  core  throughout  its  whole  length;  and, 
thirdly,  to  determine  the  resistance  of  the  conductor, 
by  which  is  meant  its  objection  to  carry  our  mes- 
sages without  vigorous  application  of  the  spur  in 
the  form  of  increased  electrical  power  in  our  bat- 
teries.    You  see,  Robin,  every  message  sent  to  ua^ 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  77 

from  the  shore,  as  well  as  every  message  sent  by  us 
in  reply,  has  to  travel  through  the  entire  length  of 
the  cable,  namely  about  2400  miles,  and  as  every 
mile  of  distance  increases  this  unwillingness,  or  re- 
sistance, we  have  to  increase  the  electrical  power  in 
the  batteries  in  proportion  to  the  distance  to  which 
we  want  to  send  our  message.     D'  you  understand  ?" 

"  I  think  I  do,  sir ;  but  how  is  the  exact  amount 
of  resistance  tested  ?" 

Mr.  Smith  smiled  as  he  looked  at  the  earnest  face 
of  his  young  questioner. 

"  My  boy,"  said  he,  "  you  would  require  a  more 
fully  educated  mind  to  understand  the  answer  to 
that  question.  The  subtleties  of  electrical  science 
cannot  be  explained  in  a  brief  conversation. 
You  '11  have  to  study  and  apply  to  books  for  full 
light  on  that  subject.  Nevertheless,  although  I 
cannot  carry  you  into  the  subject  just  now,  I  can 
tell  you  something  about  it.  You  remember  the 
testing-room  which  I  showed  you  yesterday— the 
darkened  room  between  the  captain's  state-room 
and  the  entrance  to  the  grand  saloon  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  remember  it  well,"  responded  Eobin, 
— "  the  room  into  which  the  conducting-wires  from 
the  ends  of  the  cable  are  led  to  the  testing-tables, 
on  which  are  the  curious-looking  galvanometers  and 
other  testing  machines." 

"  Just    so,"   returned   Smith,   pleased   with   his 


78  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

pupil's  aptitude.  "  Well,  on  that  table  stands  Pro- 
fessor Thomson's  delicate  and  wonderful  gal  van  o- 
meter.  On  that  instrument  a  ray  of  light,  reflected 
from  a  tiny  mirror  suspended  to  a  magnet,  travels 
along  a  scale  and  indicates  the  resistance  to  the 
passage  of  the  current  along  the  cable  by  the 
deflection  of  the  magnet,  which  is  marked  by  the 
course  of  this  speck  of  light.  Now,  d'  you  under- 
stand that,  Eobin  ? " 

"  I — I  'm  afraid  not  quite,  sir." 

"  Well,  no  matter,"  rejoined  Smith,  with  a  laugh. 
"  At  all  events  you  can  understand  that  if  that 
speck  of  light  keeps  within  bounds — on  its  index — 
all  is  going  well,  but  if  it  travels  beyond  the  index 
— bolts  out  of  bounds — an  escape-  of  the  electric 
current  is  taking  place  somewhere  in  the  cable,  or 
what  we  call  a  fault  has  occurred." 

"  Ah,  indeed,"  exclaimed  Eobin,  casting  a  serious 
look  at  the  cable  as  it  rose  from  the  after-tank,  ran 
smoothly  over  its  line  of  conducting  wheels,  dropped 
over  the  stern  of  the  ship  and  glided  into  the  sea 
like  an  an  endless  snake  of  stealthy  habits.  "  And 
what,"  he  added,  with  a  sudden  look  of  awe,  "if 
the  cable  should  break  ?" 

"  Why,  it  would  go  to  the  bottom,  of  course,"  re- 
plied Smith,  "  and  several  hearts  would  break  along 
with  it.  You  see  these  two  gentlemen  conversing 
near  the  companion-hatch  ?  " 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  79 

«Yes." 

"One  is  the  chief  of  the  electricians ;  the  other 
the  chief  of  the  engineers.  Their  hearts  would 
probably  break,  for  their  position  is  awfully  respon- 
sible. Then  my  heart  would  break,  I  know,  for  I 
feel  it  swelling  at  the  horrible  suggestion ;  and  your 
heart  would  break,  Eobin,  I  think,  for  you  are  a 
sympathetic  donkey,  and  couldn't  help  yourself. 
Then  you  see  that  stout  man  on  the  bridge — that 's 
Captain  Anderson — well,  his  heart  would — no — per- 
haps it  wouldn't,  for  he  's  a  sailor,  and  you  know  a 
sailor's  heart  is  too  tough  to  break,  but  it  would 
get  a  pretty  stiff  wrench.  And  you  see  that  gentle- 
man looking  at  the  paying -out  gear  so  earnestly  ?" 

"What— Cyrus  Field?"  said  Eobin. 

"  Yes  ;  well,  his  heart  and  the  Atlantic  Cable  are 
united,  so  as  a  matter  of  course  the  two  would 
snap  together." 

Now,  while  Smith  and  his  young  assistant  were 
conversing  thus  facetio-scientifically,  the  electri- 
cians on  duty  in  the  testing-room  were  watching 
with  silent  intensity  the  indications  on  their  in- 
struments. Suddenly,  at  3.15  A.M.,  when  exactly 
eighty-four  miles  of  cable  had  been  laid  out,  he 
who  observed  the  galvanometer  saw  the  speck  of 
light  glide  to  the  end  of  the  scale,  and  vanish  ! 

If  a  speck  of  fire  had  been  seen  to  glide  through 
the   keyhole    of    the    powder    magazine   it    could 


80  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

scarcely  have  created  greater  consternation  than 
did  the  disappearance  of  that  light !  The  com- 
motion in  the  testing-room  spread  instantly  to 
every  part  of  the  ship  ;  the  whole  staff  of  electri- 
cians was  at  once  roused,  and  soon  afterwards  the 
engines  of  the  Great  Eastern  were  slowed  and 
stopped,  while,  with  bated  breath  and  anxious  looks, 
men  whispered  to  each  other  that  there  was  "  a 
fault  in  the  cable." 

A  fault !  If  the  cable  had  committed  a  mortal 
sin  they  could  scarcely  have  looked  more  horrified. 
Nevertheless  there  was  ground  for  anxiety,  for  this 
fault,  as  in  moral  faults,  indicated  sometliing  that 
might  end  in  destruction. 

After  testing  the  cable  for  some  time  by  signal- 
ling to  the  shore,  M.  de  Sauty  concluded  that  the 
fault  was  of  a  serious  character,  and  orders  were  at 
once  given  to  prepare  the  picking-up  apparatus  at 
the  bow  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  the  cable  back 
into  the  ship  until  the  defective  portion  should  be 
reached  and  cut  out. 

"  0  wliat  a  pity !"  sighed  Eobin,  when  he 
understood  what  was  going  to  be  done,  and  the 
feeling,  if  not  the  words,  was  shared  by  every  one 
on  board  with  more  or  less  intelligence  and  in- 
tensity ;  but  there  were  veterans  of  submarine 
telegraphy  who  spoke  encouragingly  and  treated 
the  incident  as  a  comparatively  small  matter. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  81 

Two  men-of-war,  the  Terrible  and  the  Sphinx, 
had  been  appointed  to  accompany  and  aid  the 
Great  Eastern  on  her  important  mission.  A  gun 
was  fired  and  signals  were  made  to  acquaint  these 
with  what  had  occurred  while  the  fires  were  being 
got  up  in  the  boilers  of  the  picking-up  machinery. 

Electricians  as  well  as  doctors  differ,  it  would 
seem,  among  themselves,  for  despite  their  skill 
and  experience  there  was  great  difference  of  opinion 
in  the  minds  of  those  on  board  the  big  ship  as  to 
the  place  where  the  fault  lay.  Some  thought  it 
was  near  the  shore,  and  probably  at  the  splice  of 
the  shore- end  with  the  main  cable.  Others  calcu- 
lated, from  the  indications  given  by  the  tests,  that 
it  was  perhaps  twenty  or  forty  or  sixty  miles  astern. 
One  of  the  scientific  gentlemen  held  that  it  was 
not  very  far  from  the  ship,  while  another  gentle- 
man, who  was  said  to  be  much  experienced  in 
"  fault  "-finding,  asserted  that  it  was  not  more  than 
nine  or  ten  miles  astern. 

While  the  doctors  were  thus  difi'ering,  the  prac- 
tical engineers  were  busy  making  the  needful  pre- 
parations for  picking-up— an  operation  involving 
great  risk  of  breaking  the  cable,  and  requiring  the 
utmost  delicacy  of  treatment,  as  may  be  easily 
understood,  for,  while  the  cable  is  being  payed  out 
the  strain  on  it  is  comparatively  small,  whereas 
when  it  is  being  picked   up,  there  is  not  only  the 

F 


82  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  UOILEB, 

extra  strain  caused  by  stoppage,  and  afterwards  by 
hauling  in,  but  there  is  the  risk  of  sudden  risings 
of  the  ship's  stern  on  the  ocean  swell,  which  might 
at  any  moment  snap  the  thin  line  like  a  piece  of 
packthread. 

The  first  diflficulty  and  the  great  danger  was 
to  pass  the  cable  from  the  stern  to  the  bow,  and  to 
turn  the  ship  round,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  steam 
up  to  the  cable  while  hauling  it  in.  Iron  chams 
were  lashed  firmly  to  the  cable  at  the  stern,  and 
secured  to  a  wire-rope  carried  round  the  outside  of 
the  ship  to  the  picking-up  apparatus  at  the  bows. 
The  cable  was  down  in  400  fathoms  of  water  when 
the  paying- out  ceased,  and  nice  management  was 
required  to  keep  the  ship  steady,  as  she  had  now  no 
steerage- way ;  and  oh !  with  what  intense  interest 
and  curiosity  and  wonder  did  Kobin  Wright  regard 
the  varied  and  wonderful  mechanical  appliances 
with  which  the  whole  affair  was  accomplished  ! 

Then  the  cable  was  cut,  and,  with  its  shackles 
and  chains,  allowed  to  go  plump  into  the  sea ! 
Robin's  heart  and  soul  seemed  to  go  along  with  it. 
for,  not  expecting  the  event,  he  fancied  it  was  lost 
for  ever. 

"Gone  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  horror. 

"  Not  quite,"  said  Jim  Slagg,  who  stood  at  Robin's 
elbow  regarding  the  operations  with  a  quiet  look  of 
intelligence.     "  Don't  you  see,  Robin,  that  a  wire* 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  S3 

rope  fit  a'most  to  hold  the  big  ship  herself  is  holdiu' 
on  to  it." 

"  Of  course  ;  how  stupid  I  am  !"  said  Eobin,  with 
a  great  sigh  of  relief ;  "  I  see  it  now,  going  round 
to  the  bows." 

At  first  the  rope  was  let  run,  to  ease  the  strain 
while  the  ship  swung  round;  then  it  was  brought 
in  over  the  pulley  at  the  bow,  the  paddles  moved, 
and  the  return  towards  Ireland  was  begun.  The 
strain,  although  great,  was  far  from  the  breaking 
point,  but  the  speed  was  very  slow — not  more  than 
a  mile  an  hour  being  considered  safe  in  the  process 
of  picking-up. 

"  Patience,  Eobin,"  observed  Mr.  Smith,  as  he 
passed  on  his  way  to  the  cabin,  "  is  a  virtue  much 
needed  in  the  laying  of  cables.  We  have  now 
commenced  a  voyage  at  the  rate  of  one  mile  an 
hour,  which  will  not  terminate  till  we  get  back  to 
Owld  Ireland,  unless  we  find  the  fault." 

Patience,  however,  was  not  destined  to  be  so 
severely  tried.  All  that  day  and  all  night  the  slow 
process  went  on.  Meanwhile — as  the  cable  was 
not  absolutely  unworkable,  despite  the  fault — the 
chief  engineer,  Mr.  Canning,  sent  a  message  to 
Mr.  Glass  in  Ireland,  asking  him  to  send  out  the 
Hawk  steamer,  in  order  that  he  might  return  in 
her  to  search  for  the  defect  in  the  shore- end  of  the 
cable,  for  if  that  were  found  he  purposed  sacrificing 


84  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  eighty  odd  miles  already  laid  down,  making  a 
new  splice  with  the  shore-end,  and  starting  afresh. 
A  reply  was  received  from  Mr.  Glass,  saying  that 
the  Hawk  would  be  sent  out  immediately. 

Accordingly,  about  daybreak  of  the  25th  the 
Hawk  appeared,  but  her  services  were  not  required, 
for,  about  nine  that  morning,  when  the  cable  was 
coming  slowly  in  and  being  carefully  examined 
foot  by  foot — nay,  inch  by  inch — -the  fault  was 
discovered,  and  joy  took  the  place  of  anxiety.  Ten 
and  a  quarter  miles  of  cable  had  been  picked  up 
when  the  fault  came  inboard,  and  a  strange  un- 
actcountable  fault  it  turned  out  to  be — namely,  a 
small  piece  of  wire  which  had  been  forced  through 
the  covering  of  the  cable  into  the  gutta-percha  so 
as  to  injure,  but  not  quite  to  destroy,  the  insulation. 
How  such  a  piece  of  wire  could  have  got  into  the 
tank  was  a  mystery,  but  the  general  impression 
was  that  it  had  been  carried  there  by  accident  and 
forced  into  the  coil  by  the  pressure  of  the  paying- 
out  machinery  as  the  cable  flew  through  the  jockey- 
wheels. 

Signals  were  at  once  made  to  the  fleet  that  the 
enemy  had  been  discovered.  Congratulatory  signals 
were  returned.  The  fault  was  cut  out  and  a  new 
splice  made.  The  Hawk  was  sent  home  again. 
The  big  ship's  bow  was  turned  once  more  to  the 
west,  and   the   rattling  of   the    machinery,  as  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  85 

restored  and  revived  cable  passed  over  the  stern, 
went  merrily  as  a  marriage  bell. 

The  detention  had  been  only  about  twelve  hours  ; 
the  great  work  was  going  on  again  as  favourably  as 
before  the  mishap  occurred,  and  about  half  a  mile 
had  been  payed  out,  when — blackness  of  despair — 
the  electric  current  suddenly  ceased,  and  communi- 
cation with  the  shore  was  ended  altogether  ! 


86  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

IN  TVHTCH  JOTS,   HOPES,   ALARMS,    GHOSTS,    AND   LEVIATHANS 
TAKE   PART. 

That  man  who  can  appreciate  the  feelings  of 
one  who  has  become  suddenly  bankrupt  may  under- 
stand the  mental  condition  of  those  on  board  the 
Great  Eastern  when  they  were  thus  tossed  from 
the  pinnacle  of  joyous  hope  to  the  depths  of  dark 
despair.  It  was  not,  however,  absolute  despair. 
The  cable  was  utterly  useless  indeed — insensate — 
but  it  was  not  broken.  There  was  still  the  blessed 
possibility  of  picking  it  up  and  bringing  it  to  life 
again. 

That,  however,  was  scarcely  an  appreciable  com- 
fort at  the  moment,  and  little  could  be  seen  or 
heard  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  save  elongated 
faces  and  gloomy  forebodings. 

Ebenezer  Smith  and  his  confreres  worked  in  the 
testing-room  like  Trojans.  They  connected  and 
disconnected ;  they  put  in  stops  and  took  them 
out ;  they  intensified  currents  to  the  extent  of  their 
anxieties;  they  reduced  them  to  the   measure  of 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  87 

their  despair — nothing  would  do.  The  caLle  was 
apparently  dead.  In  these  circumstances  picking 
up  was  the  only  resource,  and  the  apparatus  for 
that  purpose  was  again  rigged  up  in  the  bows. 

In  the  meantime  the  splice  which  had  been 
made  to  connect  the  tanks  was  cut  and  examined, 
and  the  portions  coiled  in  the  fore  and  main  tanks 
were  found  to  be  perfect — alive  and  well — but  the 
part  between  ship  and  shore  was  speechless.  « 

So  was  poor  Eobin  Wright !  After  Mr.  Field — 
whose  life-hope  seemed  to  be  cRtomed  to  disappoint- 
ment— the  blow  was  probably  felt  most  severely 
by  Eobin.  But  Fortune  seemed  to  be  playfully 
testing  the  endurance  of  these  cable-layers  at  that 
time,  for,  when  the  despair  was  at  its  worst,  the 
tell-tale  light  reappeared  on  the  index  of  the 
galvanometer,  without  rhyme  or  reason,  calling 
forth  a  shout  of  joyful  surprise,  and  putting  an 
abrupt  stoppage  to  the  labours  of  the  pickers- up  ! 

They  never  found  out  what  was  the  cause  of  that 
fault ;  but  that  was  a  small  matter,  for,  with  restored 
sensation  in  the  cable- nerve,  renewed  communica- 
tion with  the  shore,  and  resumed  progress  of  the 
ship  towards  her  goal,  they  could  afford  to  smile  at 
former  troubles. 

Joy  and  sorrow,  shower  and  sunshine,  fair  weather 
and  foul,  was  at  first  the  alternating  portion  of  the 
eable-l£.yers. 


88  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"I  cant  believe  my  eyes!"  said  Eobin  to  Jim 
Slagg,  as  they  stood  next  day,  during  a  leisure  hour, 
close  to  the  whirling  wheels  and  never-ending  cable, 
about  160  miles  of  which  had  been  laid  by  that 
time.  "  Just  look  at  the  Terrible  and  Sphinx  ;  the 
sea  is  now  so  heavy  that  they  are  thumping  into 
the  waves,  burying  their  bows  in  foam,  while  we 
are  slipping  along  as  steadily  as  a  Thames  steamer." 
^  "  That 's  true,  sir,"  answered  Slagg,  whose  admira- 
tion for  our  hero's  enthusiastic  and  simple  character 
increased  as  their  intimacy  was  prolonged,  and  whose 
manner  of  address  became  proportionally  more 
respectful,  "  She 's  a  steady  little  duck  is  the  Great 
Eastern  !  she  has  got  the  advantage  of  length,  you 
see,  over  other  ships,  an'  rides  on  two  waves  at  a 
time,  instead  of  wobblin'  in  between  'em;  but  I 
raither  think  she  'd  roll  a  bit  if  she  was  to  go  along 
in  the  trough  of  the  seas.  Don't  the  cable  go  out 
beautiful,  too — ^just  like  a  long-drawn  eel  with  the 
consumption  !  Did  you  hear  how  deep  the  captain 
said  it  was  hereabouts  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  heard  him  say  it  was  a  little  short  of  two 
miles  deep,  so  it  has  got  a  long  way  to  sink  before 
it  reaches  its  oozy  bed." 

"  How  d'ee  know  what  sort  o'  bed  it 's  got  to  lie 
on  ?"  asked  Slagg. 

"  Because,"  said  Eobin,  "  the  whole  Atlantic  where 
the  cable  is  to  lie  has  been  carefully  sounded  loug 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  89 

ago,  and  it  is  found  that  the  ocean-bed  here,  which 
looks  so  like  mud,  is  composed  of  millions  of  beauti- 
ful shells,  so  small  that  they  cannot  be  distinguished 
by  the  naked  eye.  Of  course,  they  have  no  crea- 
tures in  them.  It  would  seem  that  these  shell-fish 
go  about  the  ocean  till  they  die,  and  then  fall  to  the 
bottom  like  rain."^ 

"  You  don't  say  so  !"  returned  Slagg,  who,  being 
utterly  uneducated,  received  suchlike  information 
with  charming  surprise,  and  regarded  Eobin  as  a 
very  mine  of  knowledge.  "  Wellnow,  that  beats 
cock-fighting.  But,  I  say,  how  is  it  that  the  elec- 
tricity works  through  the  cable?  I  heerd  one  o' 
your  electrical  fellers  explaining  to  a  landlubber 
t'other  evenin'  that  electricity  could  only  run  along 
wires  when  the  circuit  was  closed,  by  which  he 
meant  to  say  that  it  would  fly  from  a  battery  and 
travel  along  a  wire  ever  so  far,  if  only  that  wire  was 
to  turn  right  round  and  run  back  to  the  same 
battery  again.  Now,  if  that's  so,  seems  to  me 
that  when  you've  got  your  cable  to  Newfoundland 
you  '11  have  to  run  another  one  back  again  to  Ire- 
land before  it  '11  work." 

"Ah,  Slagg,  that  would  indeed  be  the  case," 
returned  Eobin,   "  were  it  not  that  we  have  dis- 

1  Those  who  visited  the  Crystal  Palace  at  Sydenham  during 
the  recent  Electrical  Exhibition  had  an  op|)ortiinity  of  seeing 
the  shells  here  referred  to  under  a  powerful  microscope. 


90  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

covered  the  important  fact  that  the  earth — the 
round  globe  on  which  we  stand — itself  acts  the  part 
of  a  grand  conductor.  So  we  have  only  to  send 
d(ijvn  earth-wires  at  the  two  ends — one  into  the 
earth  of  Ireland,  the  other  into  the  earth  of  JSTew- 
foundland,  and  straightway  the  circuit  is  closed,  and 
the  electricity  generated  in  our  batteries  passes 
through  the  cable  from  earth  to  earth." 

"  Eobin,"  said  Slagg  doubtiugly,  "  d'you  expect 
me  for  to  believe  thatT' 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  said  Eobin  simply. 

"  Then  you  're  greener  than  I  took  you  for.  No 
offence  meant,  but  it 's  my  opinion  some  o'  these 
'cute  electricians  has  bin  tryin'  the  width  of  your 
swallow." 

"  No,  you  are  mistaken,"  returned  Eobin  earnestly; 
"  I  have  read  the  fact  in  many  books.  The  books 
differ  in  their  opinions  as  to  the  causes  and  nature 
of  the  fact,  but  not  as  to  the  fact  itself." 

It  was  evident  that  Eobin  looked  upon  this  as 
an  unanswerable  argument,  and  his  friend  seemed 
perplexed. 

"  Well,  I  don'  know  how  it  is,"  he  said,  after  a 
pause,  "  but  I  do  believe  that  this  here  wonderful 
electricity  is  fit  for  a'most  anything,  an'  that  we  '11 
have  it  revoloosionising  everything  afore  long — I 
do  indeed." 

Tlie  intelligent  reader  who  has  noted  the  gigantic 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.        91 

strides  which  we  have  recently  made  in  electric 
lighting  of  late  will  observe  that  Slagg,  unwittingly, 
had  become  almost  prophetic  at  this  time. 

"  We  're  going  along  splendidly  now,"  said  Mr. 
Smith,  coming  up  to  Eobin  that  evening  while  he 
was  conversing  with  Slagg,  who  immediately  re- 
tired.— "Who  is  that  youth  ?  He  seems  very  fond  of 
you ;  I  've  observed  that  he  makes  up  to  you  when- 
ever you  chance  to  be  on  deck  together." 

"  He  is  one  of  the  steward's  lads,  sir ;  I  met  him 
accidentally  in  the  train ;  but  I  suspect  the  fond- 
ness is  chiefly  on  my  side.  He  was  very  kind  to 
me  when  I  first  came  on  board,  and  I  really  think 
he  is  an  intelligent,  good  fellow — a  strange  mixture 
of  self-confidence  and  humility.  Sometimes,  to  hear 
him  speak,  you  would  think  he  knew  everything ; 
but  at  the  same  time  he  is  always  willing — indeed 
anxious — to  listen  and  learn.  He  is  a  capital 
fighter  too." 

Here  Eobin  related  the  battle  in  the  boys'  berth, 
when  Slagg  thrashed  Stumps,  whereat  Mr.  Smith 
was  much  amused. 

"  So  he  seems  a  peculiar  lad — modest,  impudent, 
teachable,  kindly,  and  warlike  !  Come  below  now, 
Robin,  I  have  some  work  for  you.  Did  you  make 
the  calculations  I  gave  you  yesterday  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  and  they  corresponded  exactly  with 
jour  own.'* 


92  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Good.  Go  fetch  my  little  note-book  :  I  left  it 
in  the  grand  saloon  on  the  furthest  aft  seat,  port 
side." 

Eobin  found  the  magnificent  saloon  of  the  big 
ship  ringing  with  music  and  conversation.  Joy- 
over  the  recent  restoration  to  health  of  the  ailino- 
cable,  the  comfortable  stability  of  the  ship  in 
rough  vs^eather,  and  the  satisfactory  progress  then 
being  made,  all  contributed  to  raise  the  spirits  of 
every  one  connected  with  the  great  work,  so  that, 
while  some  were  amusing  themselves  at  the  piano, 
others  were  scattered  about  in  little  groups,  dis- 
cussing the  profounder  mysteries  of  electric  science, 
or  prophesying  the  speedy  completion  of  the  enter- 
prise, while  a  few  were  speculating  on  the  pro- 
bability of  sport  in  Newfoundland,  or  planning  out 
journeys  through  the  United  States. 

"  There 's  lots  of  game,  I  'm  told,  in  Newfound- 
land," said  one  of  the  youthful  electricians,  whose 
ruling  passion — next  to  the  subtle  fluid — was  the 
gun. 

"  So  I  've  been  told,"  replied  an  elder  and  graver 
comrade.  "  Polar  bears  are  quite  common  in  the 
woods,  and  it  is  said  that  walrus  are  fond  of  roost- 
ing in  the  trees." 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  so,"  returned  the  youthful 
sportsman,  who,  although  young,  was  not  to  be 
caught  with  chaff,  "  and  the  fishing,  I  hear,  is  also 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  93 

splendid.  Salmon  and  cod  are  found  swarming  in 
the  rivers  by  those  who  care  for  mild  occupation, 
while  really  exciting  sport  is  to  be  had  in  the  great 
lakes  of  the  interior,  where  there  are  plenty  of 
fresh-water  whales  that  take  the  fly." 

"The  swan,  you  mean,"  said  another  comrade. 
"  The  fly  that  is  most  killing  among  Newfoundland 
whales  is  a  swan  fastened  whole  to  a  shark  hook — 
though  a  small  boat's  anchor  will  do  if  you  haven't 
tlie  right  tackle." 

"Come,  don't  talk  nonsense,  but  let's  have  a 
song,"  said  a  brother  electrician  to  the  sporting 
youth. 

"  I  never  sing,"  he  replied,  "  except  when  hurt, 
and  then  I  sing  out.  But  see,  our  best  musician 
has  just  seated  himself  at  the  instrument." 

"  Don't  talk  shop,  Nimrod ;  call  it  the  piano." 

Most  of  those  present  drew  towards  the  musical 
corner,  where  Ebenezer  Smith,  having  just  entered 
the  saloon  in  search  of  Eobin,  had  been  prevailed  on 
to  sit  down  and  enliven  the  company.  Eobin,  who 
had  been  delayed  by  difficulty  in  finding  the  note- 
book, stopped  to  listen. 

Smith  had  a  fair  average  voice  and  a  vigorous 
manner. 

"You  wouldn't  object  to  hear  the  cook's  last?" 
asked  Smith,  running  his  fingers  lightly  over  tliQ 
keys. 


94  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

"  Of  course  not — 'go  on,"  chorused  several  voices. 

"  I  had  no  idea,"  lisped  a  simple  youth,  vs^ho  was 
one  of  a  small  party  of  young  gentlemen  interested 
in  engineering  and  science,  who  had  been  accommo- 
dated with  a  passage, — "  I  had  no  idea  that  our 
cook  was  a  poet  as  well  as  an  admirable  chej  de 
cuisine." 

"  Oh,  it 's  not  our  cook  he  means,"  explained  the 
sporting  electrician  ;  "  Mr.  Smith  refers  to  a  certain 
sea-cook — or  his  son,  I  'm  not  sure  which — who  is 
chef  des  liorse-marines." 

"  Is  there  a  chorus  ?"  asked  one. 

"  Of  course  there  is,"  replied  Smith  ;  "  a  sea-song 
without  a  chorus  is  like  a  kite  without  a  tail — it  is 
sure  to  fall  flat,  but  the  chorus  is  an  old  and 
well-known  one — it  is  only  the  song  that  is  new. 
Now  then,  clear  your  throats,  gentlemen." 

SONG— THE  LOSS  OF  THE  NANCY  LEE. 

I. 

'Twas  on  a  Friday  morning  that  I  went  off, 

An'  shipped  in  the  Nancy  Lee, 
But  that  ship  caught  a  cold  and  with  one  tremendous  cougli 

Went  slap  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  the  sea,  the  sea — 
Went  slap  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

Chorus. — Then  the  raging  sea  may  roar, 

An'  the  stormy  winds  may  blow. 
While  we  jolly  sailor  boys  rattle  up  aloft, 
And  the  landlubbers  lie  down  below,  belo«*,  below^ 
And  the  landlubbers  lie  down  below. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  95 

II. 

For  wery  nigh  a  century  I  lived  with  the  crabs, 

An'  danced  wi'  the  Mermaids  too, 
An'  drove  about  the  Ocean  in  mother  o'  pearl  cabs, 
An'  dwelt  in  a  cavern  so  blue,  so  blue,  so  blue ; 
An'  dwelt  in  a  cavern  so  blue. 

Chorus. — Then  the  raging  sea,  etc. 

III. 
I  soon  forgot  the  sorrows  o'  the  world  above 

In  the  pleasures  o'  the  life  below; 
Queer  fish  they  made  up  to  me  the  "want  o'  human  love, 
As  through  the  world  o'  waters  I  did  go,  did  go,  did  go ; 
As  through  the  world  o'  waters  I  did  go. 
CuoRUS. — Then  the  raging  sea,  etc. 

IV. 

One  day  a  horrid  grampus  caught  me  all  by  the  nose, 

An'  swung  me  up  to  the  land, — 
An'  I  never  went  to  sea  again,  as  everybody  knows, 

And  as  everybody  well  may  understand,  'derstand,  'derstand. 
And  as  everybody  well  may  understand. 
Chorus. — Then  the  raging  sea,  etc. 

The  plaudits  with  which  this  song  was  received 
were,  it  need  scarcely  be  remarked,  due  more  to  the 
vigour  of  the  chorus  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
audience  than  to  intrinsic  merit.  Even  Eobin 
Wright  was  carried  off  his  legs  for  the  moment,  and, 
modest  though  he  was,  broke  in  at  the  chorus  with 
such  effect — his  voice  being  shrill  and  clear — that 
he  unintentionally  outyelled  all  the  rest,  and  would 
have  fled  in  consternation  from  the  saloon  if  he  had 
not  been  caught  and  forcibly  detained  by  the  sport- 


96  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

ing  electrician,  who  demanded  what  right  he  had  to 
raise  his  steam-whistle  in  that  fashion. 

"  But  I  say,  young  Wright,"  he  added  in  a  lower 
tone,  leading  our  hero  aside,  "  what 's  this  rumour  I 
hear  about  a  ghost  in  the  steward's  cabin  ?" 

"  Oh !  it  is  nothing  to  speak  of,"  replied  Eobin, 
with  a  laugh.  "The  lad  they  call  Stumps  got  a 
fright— that 's  all." 

"  But  that 's  enough.     Let  us  hear  about  it." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  know,"  said  Eobin,  "  that 
there 's  a  ghost  in  the  Great  Eastern." 

"  No,  I  don't  know  it  from  personal  experience, 
but  I  have  heard  a  report  to  that  effect." 

"  Well,  I  was  down  in  Jim  Slagg's  berth,  having  a 
chat  with  him  about  the  nature  of  electric  currents 
— for  he  has  a  very  inquiring  mind, — and  somehow 
we  diverged  to  ghosts,  and  began  to  talk  of  the  ghost 
of  the  Great  Eastern. 

"  *  I  don't  believe  in  the  Great  Eastern  ghost — 
no,  nor  in  ghosts  of  any  kind,'  said  Stumps,  who  M'as 
sitting  near  us  eating  a  bit  of  cheese. 

"'  But  I  believe  in  'em,'  said  the  boy  Jeff,  who  was 
seated  on  the  other  side  of  the  table,  and  looked  at 
us  so  earnestly  that  we  could  scarce  help  smiling — 
though  we  didn't  feel  in  a  smiling  humour  at  the 
time,  for  it  was  getting  dark,  and  we  had  got  to  talk- 
ing in  low  tones  and  looking  anxiously  over  our 
shoulders,  you  know — 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  97 

" '  Oh  yes,  I  know,'  replied  the  sportsman,  with  a 
laugh  ;  '  I  have  shuddered  and  grue-oo-'d  many  a 
time  over  ghost- stories.     Well  ?' 

" '/  don't  believe  in  'em,  Jeff.  Why  do  you  V  asked 
Stumps,  in  a  scoffing  tone. 

" '  Because  I  hear  one  every  night  a'most  when  I 
go  down  into  the  dark  places  below  to  fetch  things. 
Tliere's  one  particular  spot  where  the  ghost  goes 
tap-tap-tappiug  continually.' 

" '  Eiddlededee,'  said  Stumps. 

"'Come  down,  and  you  shall  hear  it  for  yourself/ 
said  Jeff. 

"  Now,  they  say  that  Stumps  is  a  coward,  though 
he  boasts  a  good  deal — ." 

"  You  may  say,"  interrupted  the  sportsman,  "  that 
Stumps  is  a  coward  hecavse  he  boasts  a  good  deal. 
Boasting  is  often  a  sign  of  cowardice — though  not 
always." 

"  Well,"  continued  Eobin,  "  being  ashamed  to 
draw  back,  I  suppose,  he  agreed  to  accompany 
Jeff." 

"'Won't  you  come  too,  Slagg?'  said  Stumps. 

"  *  No  ;  I  don't  care  a  button  for  ghosts.  Besides, 
I'm  too  busy,  but  Wright  will  go.  There,  don't 
bother  me  !'  said  Jim. 

"  I  noticed,  as  I  went  last  out  of  the  room,  that 
Slagg  rose  quickly  and  pulled  a  sheet  off  one  of  the 
beds.  Afterwards,  looking  back,  I  saw  him  slip 
G 


98  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

out  and  run  down  the  passage  in  the  opposite 
direction.  I  suspected  he  was  about  some  mischief, 
but  said  nothing. 

"  It  was  getting  dark,  as  I  have  said,  though  not 
dark  enough  for  lighting  the  lamps,  and  in  some 
corners  below  it  was  as  dark  as  midnight.  To  one 
of  these  places  Jeff  led  us. 

" '  Mind  how  you  go  now,'  whispered  Jeff ;  '  it 's 
here  somewhere,  and  there 's  a  hole  too — look  out — 
there  it  is ! ' 

" '  What !  the  ghost  ? '  whispered  Stumps,  begin- 
ning to  feel  uneasy.  To  say  truth,  I  began  to  feel 
uneasy  myself  without  well  knowing  why.  At 
that  moment  I  fell  over  something,  and  came  down 
•with  a  crash  that  shook  Stumps's  nerves  completely 
out  of  order. 

" '  I  say,  let 's  go  back,'  he  muttered  in  a  tremulous  ■ 
voice. 

"  *  No,  no,'  whispered  Jeff,  seizing  Stumps  by  the 
arm  with  a  sudden  grip  that  made  him  give  a  short 
yelp,  '  we  are  at  the  place  now.  It 's  in  this  dark 
passage.     Listen  ! ' 

"  We  all  held  our  breath  and  listened.  For  a  few 
seconds  we  heard  nothing,  but  presently  a -slight 
tapping  was  heard. 

"  '  I  've  heard,'  whispered  Jeff  in  a  low  tone,  '  that 
when  the  big  ship  was  buildin',  one  o'  the  plate- 
riveters  disappeared  in  some  hole  between  the  two 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  99 

skins  o'  the  ship  hereabouts,  and  his  comrades,  not 
bein'  able  to  find  him,  were  obliged  at  last  to  rivet 
him  in,  which  they  did  so  tight  that  even  his  ghost 
could  not  get  out,  so  it  goes  on  tappin',  as  you  hear, 
an'  is  likely  to  go  on  tappin'  for  ever.' 

" '  Bosh  ! '  whispered  Stumps ;  thus  politely  in- 
timating his  disbelief,  but  I  felt  him  trembling  all 
over  notwithstanding. 

"  At  that  moment  we  saw  a  dim  shadowy  whitish 
object  at  the  other  end  of  the  dark  passage.  '  Wha' 
— wha' — what 's  that  ? '  said  I. 

"  Stumps  gasped.  I  heard  his  teeth  chattering, 
and  I  think  his  knees  were  knocking  together, 
Jeff  made  no  sound,  and  it  was  too  dark  to  see  his 
face.  Suddenly  the  object  rushed  at  us.  There 
was  no  noise  of  footsteps — only  a  muffled  sound 
and  a  faint  hissing.  I  stood  still,  unable  to  move. 
So  did  Jeff.  I  felt  the  hair  of  my  head  rising. 
Stumps  gasped  again — then  turned  and  fled.  The 
creature,  whatever  it  was,  brushed  past  us  with 
a  hideous  laugh.  I  guessed  at  once  that  it  was  Jim 
Slagg,  but  evidently  Stumps  didn't,  for  he  uttered 
an  awful  yell  that  would  have  roused  the  whole 
ship  if  she  had  been  of  an  ordinary  size;  at  the  same 
moment  he  tripped  and  fell  on  the  thing  that  had 
upset  me,  and  the  ghost,  leaping  over  him,  vanished 
from  our  sight. 

"  To  my  surprise,  on  returning  to  our  cabin,  we 


100  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

found  Slagg  as  we  had  left  him,  with  both  hands  on 
his  forehead  poring  over  his  book.  I  was  almost  as 
much  surprised  to  see  Jeff  sit  down  and  laugh 
heartily. — Now,  what  do  you  think  it  could  have 
been?" 

"  It  was  Slagg,  of  course,"  answered  the  sporting 
electrician. 

"  Yes,  but  what  causes  the  tapping  ?" 

"  Oh,  that  is  no  doubt  some  little  trifle — a  chip 
of  wood,  or  bit  of  wire  left  hanging  loose,  which 
shakes  about  when  the  ship  heaves." 

A  sudden  tramping  of  feet  overhead  brought  tliis 
ghostly  discussion  to  an  abrupt  close,  and  caused 
every  man  in  the  saloon  to  rush  on  deck  with  a  ter- 
rible feeling  in  his  heart  that  something  had  gone 
wrong. 

"  Not  broken  ? "  asked  an  electrician  with  a  pale 
face  on  reaching  the  deck. 

"  Oh  no,  sir,"  replied  an  engineer,  with  an  anxious 
look,  "  not  quite  so  bad  as  that,  but  a  whale  has 
taken  a  fancy  to  inspect  us,  and  he  is  almost  too 
attentive." 

So  it  was.  A  large  Greenland  whale  was  play- 
ing about  the  big  ship,  apparently  under  the  im- 
pression that  she  was  a  giant  of  his  own  species, 
and  it  had  passed  perilously  close  to  the  cable. 

A  second  time  it  came  up,  rolling  high  above  the 
waves.      It  went  close  past  the  stern — rose  again 


TWO  LKVr.VTirAXS  AT  THE  CABLE.— Page  100. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  TUE  BOILER.  101 

and  dived  with  a  gentle  flop  of  its  great  tail,  wliich, 
if  it  had  touched  the  cable,  would  have  cut- it  like 
a  thread.  At  that  trying  moment,  as  they  saw  its 
huge  back  glittering  in  the  moonlight,  the  hearts  of 
the  helpless  spectators  appeared  absolutely  to  stand 
still.  When  the  monster  dived  its  side  even  touched 
the  cable,  but  did  not  damage  it.  Being  apparently 
satisfied  by  that  time  that  the  ship  was  not  a 
friend,  the  whale  finally  disappeared  in  the  depths 
of  its  ocean  home. 


102  THE  BATTEEY  AND  TUE  BOILER. 


CHAPTEK    X. 

TELLS  OF   GREAT  EFFOBTS  AND   FAILURES  AND  GRAND  SUCCESS. 

Thus  happily  and  smootlily  all  things  went,  with 
little  bursts  of  anxiety  and  little  touches  of  alarm, 
just  sufficient,  as  it  were,  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of 
all,  till  the  morning  of  the  30th  July.  But  on  that 
morning  an  appearance  of  excitement  in  the  testing- 
room  told  that  something  had  again  gone  wrong. 
Soon  the  order  was  given  to  slow  the  engines,  then 
to  stop  them  ! 

The  bursting  of  a  thunder- clap,  the  explosion  of 
a  powder-magazine,  could  not  have  more  effectually 
awakened  the  slumherers  than  this  abrupt  stoppage 
of  the  ship's  engines.  Instantly  all  the  hatchways 
poured  forth  anxious  inquirers. 

"  Another  fault,"  was  the  reply  to  such. 

"  0  dear  !"  said  some. 

"  Horrible  !"  said  others. 

"  Not  so  bad  as  a  break,"  sighed  the  hopeful 
spiiits. 

"It  is  bad  enough,"  said  the  chief  electrician, 
"for  we  have  found  dead  earth." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  103 

By  this  the  chief  meant  to  say  that  insulation 
had  been  completely  destroyed,  and  that  the  whole 
current  of  electricity  was  escaping  into  the  sea. 

About  716  miles  had  been  payed  out  at  the  time, 
and  as  signals  had  till  then  been  regularly  received 
from  the  shore,  it  was  naturally  concluded  that  the 
fault  lay  near  to  the  ship. 

"  Now  then,  get  along,"  said  an  engineer  to  one 
of  the  cable-men ;  "  you  '11  have  to  cut,  and  splice, 
and  test,  while  we  are  getting  ready  the  tackle  to 
pick  up." 

"  I  don't  like  that  cuttin'  o'  the  cable.  Bill,"  said 
one  of  the  sailors,  as  he  went  forward,  "  it  seems 
dangerous,  it  do." 

"  No  more  do  I,  Dick,"  replied  his  mate  ;  "  I  feel 
as  if  it  never  could  be  rightly  spliced  again." 

"  Why,  bless  you,  boys,"  said  a  cable-man  near 
them,  "  cables  is  used  to  that  now,  like  eels  to  bein' 
skinned;  and  so  are  we,  for  that  matter.  We  think 
nothin'  of  it." 

Clearly  the  cable-man  was  right,  for,  while  the 
picking-up  apparatus  was  being  got  ready,  the  cable 
was  cut  in  no  fewer  than  three  places,  in  order  to 
test  the  coils  that  lay  in  the  tanks.  These  being 
found  all  right,  the  picking-up  was  begun  with 
anxious  care.  The  moment  of  greatest  danger  was 
when  the  big  ship  was  swinging  round.  For  a  few 
but  apparently  endless  moments  the  cable  had  to 


104  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

bear  the  strain,  and  became  rigid  like  a  bar  of  steeL 
Then  it  was  got  in  over  the  bows,  where  all  was 
bustle,  and  noise,  and  smoke,  as  the  picking-up 
machinery  panted  and  rattled. 

All  day  the  work  went  on.  Night  descended, 
but  still  the  cable  was  coming  in  slowly,  unwillingly, 
— now  jerkily,  as  if  half  inclined  to  yield,  anon  pain- 
fully, as  if  changing  its  mind,  until  the  strain  was 
equal  to  two  and  a  half  tons.  A  row  of  lanterns 
lighted  it,  and  the  men  employed  watched  and 
handled  it  carefully  to  detect  the  "  fault,"  while  the 
clattering  wheels  played  harsh  music. 

"  We'll  never  find  it,"  growled  an  impatient  young 
electrician. 

As  if  to  rebuke  him  for  his  want  of  faith,  the 
"fault"  came  in  then  and  there — at  9.60  p.m.,  ship's 
time. 

"Ah!"  said  Mr.  Field,  whose  chief  characteristic 
was  an  unwavering  faith  in  ultimate  success,  "  I 
knew  we  should  find  it  ere  long.  I  have  often 
known  cables  to  stop  working  for  two  hours,  no  one 
knew  why,  and  then  begin  again." 

"  Well  now,  Mr.  Wright,  it  floors  me  altogether 
does  this  here  talkin'  by  electricity." 

The  man  who  made  this  remark  to  our  hero  was 
one  who  could  not  have  been  easily  "  floored  "  by 
any  other  means  than  electricity.  He  was  a  huge 
blacksmith— a  stalwart  fellow  who  had  just  been 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  105 

heaving  the  sledge-hammer  with  the  seeming  powers 
of  Vulcan  himself,  and  who  chanced  to  be  near 
Eobin  when  he  pausad  to  rest  and  mop  the 
streaming  perspiration  from  his  brow,  while  a 
well-matched  brother  took  his  place  at  the 
anvil. 

"  You  see,"  he  continued,  "  I  can't  make  out 
nohow  what  the  electricity  does  when  it  gits 
through  the  cable  from  Ireland  to  Noofun'land. 
Of  course  it  don't  actooally  speak,  you  know — no 
more  does  it  whistle,  I  suppose  ;  an'  even  if  it  did 
I  don't  see  as  we  'd  be  much  the  wiser.  What  do  it 
do,  Mr.  Wright  ?  You  seem  to  be  well  up  in  these 
matters,  an'  not  above  explainin'  of  'em  to  the  likes 
o'  us  as  ha'n't  got  much  edication." 

Few  things  pleased  Eobin  more  than  being  asked 
to  impart  what  knowledge  he  possessed,  or  to  make 
plain  subjects  that  were  slightly  complex.  He  was 
not  always  successful  in  his  attempts  at  elucidation, 
partly  because  some  subjects  were  too  complex  to 
simplify,  and  partly  because  some  intellects  were 
obtuse,  but  he  never  failed  to  try. 

"  You  must  know,"  he  replied,  with  that  earnest 
look  which  was  apt  to  overspread  his  face  when 
about  to  explain  a  difficulty,  "  that  a  piece  of  com- 
mon iron  can  be  converted  into  a  magnet  by 
electrifying  it,  and  it  can  be  unconverted  just  as 
fast  by  removing  the  electricity.     Well,  suppose  I 


106  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

have  a  bit  of  iron  in  America,  with  an  electric 
battery  in  Ireland,  or  vice  versa — ." 

"W'ot's  wicey  wersa,  Mr.  Wright?" 

"  Oh,  it  means  the  terms  being  changed — turned 
the  other  way,  you  know — back  to  the  front,  as  it 
were — in  short,  I  mean  the  battery  being  in  America 
and  the  bit  of  iron  in  Ireland." 

"  Well,  well,  who  'd  a  thought  there  w"as  so  much 
in  wicey  wersa  ;  but  go  on,  Mr.  Wright." 

"  Now,  you  must  suppose,"  continued  Eobin, 
"  that  a  needle,  like  the  mariner's  compass  needle, 
hangs  beside  my  bit  of  iron,  close  to  it,  and  that  a 
wire,  or  conductor  of  electricity,  connects  the  iron 
with  my  electric  battery  in  Ireland.  Well,  that 
makes  a  magnet  of  it,  and  the  suspended  needle, 
being  attracted,  sticks  to  it.  Then  I  disconnect  the 
wire  from  my  battery  by  touching  a  handle,  the  bit 
of  iron  ceases  to  be  a  magnet,  and  the  needle  wags 
free.  Again  I  connect  the  battery,  and  the  needle 
flies  to  the  remagnetised  bit  of  iron.  Thus,  as  fast 
as  I  choose,  I  can  make  the  needle  wag,  and  by^a 
simple  arrangement  we  can  make  it  wag  right  or 
left,  so  many  beats  right  or  left,  or  alternately, 
representing  letters.  By  varying  the  beats  we  vary 
the  letters,  and  thus  spell  out  our  messages.  Now, 
do  you  understand  it  ?" 

"Well,  I  aint  quite  sure  that  I  does,"  replied 
Vulcan  ;   "  I  've  got  a  hazy  notion  that  by  touchiu* 


THE  BATTEFvY  AND  THE  BOILER.  107 

and  removiu'  the  touch  from  a  conductor,  connect- 
ing and  disconnecting  wires  and  batteries,  you  can 
make  electricity  flow  just  as  you  let  on  or  stop 
water  by  turnin'  a  stopcock — " 

"  Not  exactly,"  interrupted  Eobin,  "  because,  you 
see,  electricity  does  not  really  flow,  not. being  a 
substance." 

"  Not  a  substance,  sir  !  w'y,  w'ot  is  it  then  ?" 

"  Like  light  and  sound,  it  is  merely  an  effect,  an 
influence,  a  result,"  answered  Eobin.  "  We  only 
use  the  word  Jlow,  and  talk  of  electricity  as  a  fluid, 
for  convenience'  sake." 

"Well,  w'otever  it  is  or  isn't,"  continued  the 
puzzled  Vulcan,  gazing  at  vacancy  for  a  few  seconds, 
"  when  you  've  set  it  agoin' — or  set  agoin'  the  things 
as  sets  it  agoin' — you  make  a  suspended  needle 
wag,  and  when  you  stop  it  you  make  the  needle 
stop  waggin',  and  by  the  way  in  which  that  there 
needle  wags  you  can  spell  out  the  letters  o'  the 
alphabit — so  many  wags  to  the  right  bein'  one  letter, 
so  many  wags  to  the  left  bein'  another  letter,  an' 
so  on, — so  that,  what  between  the  number  o'  wags 
an'  the  direction  o'  the  waggin's,  you — you  come 
for  to — there,  I  'm  lost  again,  an'  I  must  go  in  for 
another  spell  wi'  the  sledge,  so  we  '11  have  to  tackle 
the  subject  another  time,  Mr.  Wright." 

Thus  speaking,  Vulcan  seized  the  ponderous 
hammer  in  his  powerful  grasp  and  proceeded  to 


lOS        "        THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

beat  form  into  a  mass  of  glowing  metal  with  much 
greater  ease  than  he  had  been  able  to  thump 
telegraphy  into  his  own  brain. 

In  the  discovery  of  the  "  fault "  and  the  cutting 
out  of  the  injured  part  of  the  cable,  twenty- six 
hours  were  lost.  During  all  that  time  Captain 
Anderson  was  obliged  to  remain  on  deck,  while  the 
minds  and  bodies  of  the  engineers  and  electricians 
were  subjected  to  a  severe  strain  for  the  same 
period.  They  had  scarcely  begun  to  breathe  freely 
again,  and  to  congratulate  each  other  on  being  able 
to  continue  the  voyage,  when  they  received  another 
shock  of  alarm  by  the  cable  suddenly  flying  off 
the  drum,  while  it  was  being  transferred  from  the 
picking-up  machinery  in  the  bow  to  the  paying- 
out  arrangements  in  the  stern.  Before  the 
machinery  could  be  stopped,  some  fathoms  of  cable 
had  become  entangled  among  the  wheels  and 
destroyed.  This  part  having  been  cut  out,  how- 
ever, and  new  splices  made,  the  paying-out  process 
was  resumed. 

"  1 11  turn  in  now  and  have  a  snooze,  Robin," 
said  Ebenezer  Smith,  "  and  you  had  better  do  the 
same ;  you  look  tired." 

This  was  indeed  true,  for  not  a  man  or  boy  in  the 
ship  took  a  more  anxious  interest  in  the  cable  than 
did  our  little  hero.  He  had  begun  to  regard  it  as 
a  living  creature,  and  to  watch  over  it,  and  dream 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  109 

about  it,  as  if  it  were  a  dear  friend  in  extreme 
danger.  The  enthusiastic  boy  was  actually  becom- 
ing careworn  and  thin,  for  he  not  only  performed 
all  the  duties  required  of  him  with  zealous  applica- 
tion, but  spent  his  leisure,  and  much  of  the  time 
that  should  have  been  devoted  to  rest,  in  the 
careful  study  of  his  idol — intensely  watching  it  and 
all  that  was  in  the  remotest  way  connected  with  it. 

"  You  're  a  goose,"  said  Stumps,  in  passing,  when 
he  heard  Eobin  decline  to  retire  as  Smith  had 
advised  him. 

"  It  may  be  so,  and  if  so,  Stumps,  I  shall  con- 
tinue to  cackle  a  little  longer  on  deck  while  they 
are  examining  the  fault." 

That  examination,  when  finished,  produced  a 
considerable  sensation.  The  process  was  conducted 
in  private.  The  condemned  portion  was  cut  in 
junks  and  tested,  until  the  faulty  junk  was  dis- 
covered. This  was  untwisted  until  the  core  was 
laid  bare,  and  when  about  a  foot  of  it  had  been 
so  treated,  the  cause  of  evil  was  discovered,  drawing 
from  the  onlookers  an  exclamation  of  horror  rather 
than  surprise,  as  they  stood  aghast,  for  treachery 
seemed  to  have  been  at  work  ! 

"  An  enemy  in  the  ship  !"  murmured  one. 

"  What  ship  without  an  enemy  ?"  thought 
another. 

That  mischief  had  been  intended  was  obvious, 


110  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

for  a  piece  of  iron  wire,  bright  as  if  cut  with 
nippers  at  one  end  and  broken  off  short  at  the 
other,  had  been  driven  right  through  the  centre 
of  the  cable,  so  as  to  touch  the  inner  wires — thus 
forming  a  leak,  or  conductor,  into  the  sea.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  that  it  had  not  got  there  by 
accident ;  neither  had  it  been  driven  there  during 
the  making  or  shipping  of  the  cable,  for  in  that 
case  the  testings  for  continuity  would  have  betrayed 
its  presence  before  the  starting  of  the  expedition. 
The  piece  of  wire,  too,  was  the  same  size  as  that 
which  formed  the  protecting  cover,  and  it  was  of 
the  exact  diameter  of  the  cable.  There  was  also 
the  mark  of  a  cut  on  the  Manilla  hemp,  where  the 
wire  had  entered.  It  could  have  been  done  only 
by  one  of  the  men  who  were  at  work  in  the  tank 
at  the  time  the  portion  went  over,  and,  strange 
to  say,  this  was  the  same  gang  which  had  been  at 
work  there  when  the  previous  "  fault "  occurred  ! 

"Call  all  the  men  aft,"  was  the  order  that 
quickly  followed  this  discovery. 

The  piece  of  cable  was  handed  to  them,  and  they 
were  allowed  to  examine  it  in  silence.  They  did 
so  in  great  surprise,  mingled  with  indignation. 

"  It 's  bin  done  a'purpose,  an'  driven  in  by  a 
skilful  hand,"  said  one. 

"  You  're  right,  Joe,"  said  another. 

"  I  know,"  whispered  a  third,  "  that  one  of  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  1 1 1 

men  expressed  satisfaction  when  the  last  fault 
occurred,  an'  I  've  heard  say  that  we  've  got 
enemies  to  the  makers  o'  the  cable  aboard." 

The  man  thus  darkly  referred  to,  whoever  he 
was,  of  course  looked  as  innocent  and  as  indignant 
as  the  most  virtuous  among  them  ;  the  guilt,  there- 
fore, could  not  be  brought  home  to  him.  Woe 
betide  him  if  it  had  been,  for  there  was  a  serious 
talk  of  lynching  some  one  among  the  wrathful  men, 
each  of  whom  was  now  subject  to  suspicion. 

In  these  trying  circumstances,  the  chief  engineer 
accepted  an  offer  made  by  the  gentlemen  in  the 
ship,  to  take  turn  about  in  superintending  the  men 
at  work  in  the  tank  paying  out  the  cable. 

"  It 's  not  pleasant,  of  course,"  replied  one  of  the 
men,  speaking  for  the  rest,  "  but  we  feel  it  to  be 
justifiable,  as  well  as  necessary,  and  are  very  glad 
the  plan  has  been  adopted." 

Once  more  the  big  ship  went  merrily  on  her 
way,  and  the  great  cable  went  down  to  its  ocean 
bed  so  smoothly  and  regularly,  that  men  began 
to  talk  of  speedy  arrival  at  Heart's  Content — their 
destination  in  Newfoundland — which  was  now  only 
about  600  miles  distant ;  but  their  greatest  troubles 
still  lay  before  them.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  2d  August  another  bad  fault  was  re- 
ported, and  they  had  once  again  to  resort  to  the 
wearisome  process  of  picking  up. 


112  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

At  first  all  seemed  about  to  go  well.     A  gale 
was  indeed  blowing  at  the  time,  but  that  did  not 
much  affect  the  colossal  ship.     The  cable  was  cut, 
fastened  to  its  iron  rope,  passed  to  the  bow,  and  got 
in  over  the  pulleys.     Then,  and  very  slowly,  it  was 
drawn  on  board.     When  a  mile  or  so  had  been 
recovered,  the  gearing  of  one  of  the  engines  got 
a  little   out  of  order,  and  the  process  had  to  be 
temporarily  stopped ;  then  something  went  wrong 
with  the  boilers,  but  soon  these  difficulties  were 
removed.     Immediately   after,   the    Great   Eastern 
drifted  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  the 
cable    from   chafing   against   her   bows.      Equally 
impossible   was   it  to    go   astern,   lest  the   strain 
should   be   too   great.     Then  the   wind   suddenly 
shifted,    making    matters    worse.     Suddenly    the 
chain    shackle    and    wire-rope    attached    to    the 
cable   came  in  over  the  wheel  at  the  bows  with 
considerable   violence.     Another  moment  and  the 
cable  parted,  flew  through  the  stoppers,  and,  with 
one  bound,  flashed  into  the  sea  and  disappeared  ! 

Now,  at  last,  the  fatal  climax  so  much  dreaded 
had  arrived.  The  days  and  nights  of  anxious 
labour  had  been  spent  in  vain.  The  cable  was 
lost,  and  with  it  went  not  only  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  pounds,  but  the  hopes  of  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  people,  whose  sanguine  expectations 
of  success  were  thus  rudely  dispelled. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  1  ]  3 

Need  it  be  said  that  something  very  like  despair 
reigned  for  the  moment  on  board  the  Great 
Eastern  ? 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  on  board — never  dreaming 
of  catastrophe — were  at  luncheon,  when  Mr.  Canning 
entered  the  saloon  with  a  look  that  caused  every 
one  to  start. 

"  It  is  all  over  ! — it  is  gone  ! "  he  said,  and 
hastened  to  his  cabin. 

Mr.  Field,  with  the  composure  of  faith  and 
courage  though  very  pale,  entered  the  saloon 
immediately  after,  and  confirmed  the  chief  engi- 
neer's statement. 

"  The  cable  has  parted,"  he  said,  "  and  has  gone 
overboard." 

From  the  chiefs  down  even  to  Stumps  and  his 
fraternity  all  was  blank  dismay  !  As  for  our  hero 
Eobin  Wright,  he  retired  to  his  cabin,  flung  himself 
on  his  bed,  and  sobbed  as  though  his  heart  would 
break. 

But  such  a  state  of  things  could  not  last.  Men's 
spirits  may  be  stunned  and  crushed,  but  they 
are  seldom  utterly  overwhelmed  so  long  as  life 
endures. 

Eecovering   from    the    shock,   Mr.    Canning  set 

about  the  process  of  grappling  for  the  lost  cable 

with  persistent  energy.     But  fishing  in  water  two 

and  a  half  miles  deep  is  no  easy  matter.     Never- 

II 


114  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE, 

tlieless,  it  was  done.  Again  and  again,  and  over 
again,  were  two  monster  hooks  in  the  shape  of 
grapnels  let  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  with  an 
iron  rope  for  a  line,  and  the  Great  Eastern  for  a  float ! 

The  plan,  of  course,  was  to  go  back  a  few  miles 
on  their  course  and  then  drag  across  the  known 
position  of  the  lost  treasure. 

We  say  known,  because  good  observations  had 
fortunately  been  obtained  by  Captain  Anderson  just 
before  the  accident. 

Two  hours  did  the  grapnels  descend  before  they 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  sea !  AU  night  did  the 
cable-layers  fish,  with  the  characteristic  patience 
of  fishermen,  but  did  not  get  a  nibble.  Towards 
morning,  however,  there  was  a  decided  bite,  and 
the  line  became  taut. 

"  Got  him  I "  exclaimed  an  enthusiast  eagerly. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure,"  replied  a  philosopher 
cautiously. 

"  It  may  be  a  bit  of  wreck,"  suggested  Ebenezcr 
Smith,  who  was  a  natural  doubter. 

"  Or  a  whale,  or  the  great  sea-serpent,"  said  the 
sporting  electrician,  who  was  '  everything  by  turns 
and  nothing  long.' 

'•'  We  shall  very  soon  know,"  remarked  a  matter- 
ot-fact  engineer.  "  If  it  is  a  loose  object  the  strain 
will  decrease  as  it  nears  the  surface,  but  if  it  be  the 
cable  the  strain  will  certainly  increase,  because  its 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER,  1 15 

weight  will  be  greater  the  more  of  it  we  lift  off  the 
bottom," 

Earnestly  did  every  one  regard  the  dynamometer 
which  told  the  exact  amount  of  strain  on  the  iron 
fishing-line,  and  to  their  joy  the  strain  increased 
until  the  object  caught  had  been  raised  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  bottom.  Then  a  swivel 
gave  way,  and  the  cable  went  back  to  its  ocean-bed. 

But  those  plucky  engineers  were  not  to  be  over- 
come by  a  first  failure.  Having  started  with  five 
miles  of  fishing-line,  they  proceed  at  once  to  make 
a  second  attempt. 

"  Oh,  I  do  hope  they  will  hook  it  again ! "  said 
Kobin  Wright. 

"  And  so  they  will,"  said  Ebenezer  Smith, 

And  so  they  did.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
Monday  following,  their  fish  was  again  hooked  and 
raised  a  full  mile  from  the  bottom,  when  another 
swivel  gave  way,  and  down  it  went  a  second  time! 

The  fishing-line  was  now  getting  short.  It  be- 
hoved them  to  act  with  more  caution.  New  bolts 
were  put  in  each  shackle  and  swivel,  and  the  cap- 
stan was  increased  in  diameter,  being  belted  with 
thick  plates  of  iron.  To  effect  these  alterations  the 
forges  had  to  be  erected  on  deck,  and  at  night  these 
cast  a  lurid  glare  on  the  busy  workers,  bringing  out 
every  near  object  in  vivid  relief  against  the  ebony 
background  of  space  behind,  while  they  made  prepar- 


116  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

ations  for  a  third  cast  of  the  fishing-line.  The  cast 
was  made  successfully,  it  was  thought,  but  one  of 
the  grapnels  had  caught  the  line  with  one  of  its 
flukes,  so  that  it  could  not  catch  anything  else,  and 
the  result  was — nothing. 

A  fourth  attempt  was  then  made.  It  was  to  be 
the  last.  The  fishing-line  seemed  too  weak,  and  its 
frequent  breakings  had  reduced  it  so  much  that  other 
chains  had  to  be  attached  to  it.  With  this  thing  of 
shreds  and  patches  the  cable  was  once  more  hooked 
and  brought  up  nearly  eight  hundred  fathoms,  when 
the  line  gave  way  once  more,  and  the  cable  went 
doM'n  for  the  last  time. 

Nothing  more  could  be  done.  The  Great  Eastern 
turned  her  large  bows  to  the  east  and  steered  grandly, 
though  sadly,  away  for  old  England. 

But  don't  imagine,  good  reader,  that  these  cable- 
layers  were  beaten.  They  were  baffled,  indeed,  for 
that  year  (1865),  but  not  conquered.  Cyrus  Field 
had  resolved  that  the  thing  should  be  done — and 
done  it  was  the  following  year;  for  the  laying  of  the 
cable  had  been  so  nearly  a  success,  that  great  capital- 
ists, such  as  Brassey,  Gooch,  Barclay,  Campbell, 
Pender,  and  others,  at  once  came  forward.  Among 
these  were  the  contractors,  Glass  and  Elliot,  who 
agreed  not  only  to  make  and  lay  a  new  cable,  but 
to  pick  up  and  complete  the  old  one.  Cyrus  Field 
himself,  besides  energising  like  Hercules  to  push 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER,  1 1  7 

the  matter  on,  was  one  of  ten  subscribers  who  each 
contributed  £10,000.  Thus  £230,500  were  privately 
subscribed  before  a  prospectus  was  issued. 

Our  little  hero  was  at  the  laying  of  that  (1866) 
cable,  when  the  same  great  ship,  with  the  same 
captain  and  most  of  the  engineers  and  electricians 
who  had  gone  out  on  the  previous  voyage,  landed 
the  end  of  the  1820-mile  rope  on  the  shores  of 
Newfoundland,  on  Friday,  27th  July.  He  cheered 
with  the  rest  in  wild  enthusiasm  when  the  Great 
Eastern  dropped  anchor  in  "  Heart's  Content."  He 
accompanied  Captain  Anderson  and  the  officers 
of  the  fleet  when  they  went  in  a  body  to  the  little 
church  there,  to  thank  God  for  the  successful  com- 
pletion of  the  great  enterprise.  3e  was  present 
when  the  big  ship,  having  received  from  other  ships 
8000  tons  of  coal,  and  some  six  hundred  miles  of  the 
old  cable,  went  back  to  mid-ocean  to  grapple  for  the 
lost  cable  of  1865.  He  assisted  and  watched  with 
the  deepest  interest  the  amazing  efforts  of  scientific 
and  mechanical  power  put  forth  in  the  mere  matter 
of  dragging  for  the  cable  from  the  bottom,  and 
observed  with  reverence,  amounting  almost  to  awe, 
the  great  moving  spirit  of  the  whole  affair,  the 
indomitable  Mr.  Field,  as  he  went  to  the  bow  and 
sat  on  the  rope  to  feel  the  quiver  which  told  him  it 
was  dragging  the  bottom  of  the  sea  two  miles  below. 
He  was  present,  with  blazing  cheeks  and  eyes  and 


118  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

bated  breath,  when,  on  the  17th  of  August,  the 
cable  was  caught,  dragged  to  the  surface,  and 
actually  seen,  and  broke  and  sank  again  as  deep  as 
ever — though  not  so  deep  as  the  hearts  of  those  who 
saw  it  go !  He  shared  in  the  weary  delays  that 
followed,  and  in  the  final  triumph  when  the  cable 
was  fairly  caught  and  at  last  brought  on  board,  and 
carried  to  the  testing-room,  amid  intense  excitement, 
lest  it  should  prove  to  have  been  damaged  by  its 
rough  treatment,  and  his  voice  helped  to  swell  the 
roar  of  enthusiastic  cheering  that  greeted  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  old  cable  was  still  alive ! 

But  all  this  we  must  leave,  and  carry  the  reader 
back  to  old  England  faster  than  the  Great  Eastern 
could  have  rushed — ay,  faster  than  the  message  on 
the  flashing  cable  itself  could  have  sped,  for  mind 
is  more  subtle  than  matter,  and  thought  is  swifter 
than  even  the  Atlantic  Telegraph. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  119 


CIIxiPTER   XI. 

HOME  [ 

"  At  last !"  exclaimed  Eobin,  bursting  into  his 
old  home  and  seizing  his  mother  in  his  arms. 

Eobin  had  just  returned  home  after  the  laying  of 
the  1866  Atlantic  Cable,  as  briefly  narrated  in  the 
last  chapter. 

It  may  be  said  with  some  truth  that  the  old 
home  became,  during  the  next  few  days,  a  private 
lunatic  asylum,  for  its  inmates  went  mildly  mad 
with  joy. 

Chief  among  the  lunatics  was  uncle  Eik,  the 
retired  sea-captain.  That  madman's  case,  however, 
was  not  temporary  derangement,  like  the  others'. 
It  was  confirmed  insanity,  somewhat  intensiiled 
just  then  by  the  nephew's  return. 

"  So,  young  man,"  he  said,  one  evening  at  supper, 
when  the  family  traveller  was  dilating  to  open- 
eyed-and-mouthed  listeners,  "  you  actujilly  believe 
that  these  cables  are  goin'  to  work  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  do,  uncle.  They  are  working  now, 
and  have  been  working  for  many  years." 


120  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Well,  now,  the  gullibility  o'  some  people  is 
stupendous !"  returned  Eik.  "  Don't  you  know, 
Eobin,  that  everything  a'most  works  for  a  time, 
and  then,  sooner  or  later — usually  sooner — the 
rediculous  thing  bursts  up  ? 

"  But,  uncle,  you  beg  the  question  in  classing 
submarine  cables  among  ridiculous  things.  Besides, 
have  not  dozens  of  cables  been  working  satis- 
factorily for  many  years,  without  showing  signs  of 
bursting  up  as  yet  ?" 

"  Pooh  !  bah  !  boh  !"  replied  uncle  Eik,  by  which 
he  meant  to  say  that  though  convinced  against  his 
will  he  was  of  the  same  opinion  still. 

At  that  moment  cousin  Sam  Shipton  entered 
with  an  eager,  excited  look. 

"  It 's  all  settled,"  he  said,  taking  Eobin  by  the 
hand. 

"  What  is  settled  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Wright,  somewhat ' 
anxiously. 

"  Mother,  don't  be  angry,"  said  Eobin,  laying  his 
hand  on  his  mother's  shoulder,  and  speaking  tenderly, 
"  I  meant  to  have  told  you  the  moment  I  came  in 
to-day,  but  uncle  Eik  with  his  argumentative  spirit 
drove  it  and  everything  else  except  cables  out  of 
my  head — " 

"  Well,  but  what  is  it  ?"  interrupted  Madge 
impatiently  ;  "  why  do  you  keep  us  in  suspense  ?" 

"  I  have  some  prospect,  mother,  of  being  appointed 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  121 

to  go  with  a  telegrapli-laying  part}'-  to  the  East,  but 
Sam  is  wrong  when  lie  says  it  is  all  settled.  What- 
ever he  may  have  to  tell  us,  it  is  by  no  means 
settled  until  I  have  your  and  father's  opinion." 

"  Well,  you  horribly  good  but  ungrateful  boy," 
returned  Sam,  "  it  is  at  least  settled  as  far  as  I 
have  do  with  it,  I  have  made  application  at  head- 
quarters, and  they  are  willing  to  take  you  on  my 
recommendation.     Moreover,  I  am  myself  going." 

"  You're  joking,  Sam !"  exclaimed  Robin,  with  a 
flush  of  joy ;  "  I  thought  you  had  neither  intention 
nor  desire  to  go  far  from  home." 

"You  thought  wrong,  Eobin.  I  always  had 
desire,  and  now  have  intention — and  I  go  as  second 
in  command.  So,  Miss  Mayland,"  he  continued, 
turning  to  Madge,  "I  shan't  be  able  to  continue 
those  electrical  lectures  which  you  were  so  fond  of 
once,  but  have  lately  seemed  to  grow  tired  of." 

Madge  was  at  that  tender  age  of  budding  woman- 
hood when  sensitive  girls  are  apt  to  misunderstand 
a  jest.  She  blushed,  stammered  something,  then 
forced  a  laugh,  and  turned  to  speak  to  Eobin ;  but 
Sam  perceived  that  tears  rose  to  her  eyes,  and  he 
instantly  sank  in  his  own  estimation  to  the  con- 
dition of  a  loathsome  reptile. 

"  Well,  now,  that  is  good  news,"  cried  Eobin, 
applying  himself  to  the  viands  on  the  table  with 
renewed   zest.      "  You   cannot   have   the    smallest 


122  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

objection  or  anxiety,  mother,  I  should  think,  wheu 
you  know  I  shall  be  under  so  able  a  guide.'* 

"  I  have  not  yet  thought  it  over,  Eobiu." 

"Anil  you,  father?" 

"  Go,  my  boy,  and  my  blessing  go  with  you," 
said  Mr.  Wright,  all  but  choking  the  blessing  with 
a  huge  oyster. 

"Are  any  labourers  to  go  with  us?"  asked  Eobin. 

"  One  or  two  picked  ones." 

"Then  you  must  allow  me  to  pick  one,  Sam. 
My  friend  Jim  Slagg  is  at  present  cast  adrift  with 
a  considerable  part  of  the  Great  Eastern's  crew.  He 
will  be  delighted  to  go,  I  know,  and  is  a  first-rate, 
hard-working,  willing,  conscientious  youth." 

"  He  ought  to  be  proud  of  having  so  warm  a  friend 
and  advocate,"  said  Sam,  "  but  I  have  no  power  to 
choose  the  men." 

"  0  yes,  you  have,  Sam.  If  you  could  get  me 
appointed,  you  can  get  him  appointed;  and  you 
must,  for,  if  you  don't,  I  won't  go." 

"  You  are  hard  on  me,  Eobin,  but  I  '11  try." 

"  But  you  have  not  yet  told  us  where  it  is  that 
they  are  going  to  send  you,"  said  Mrs.  Wright. 

"  Ah  !  that 's  not  fixed,"  replied  Sam  ;  "  they  are 
laying  down  lines  in  Turkey  ;  and  Egypt  is  talked 
of,  and  telegraph  to  India  itself  is  even  hinted  at. 
All  I  know  is  that  we  shall  be  sent  to  the  East 
somewhere." 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  123 

"  Bah !  boo  !  Why  does  nobody  ask  for  viy 
opinion  on  the  matter?"  said  uncle  Eik,  as  he  gazed 
at  the  company  over  a  goose  drumstick,  which  was 
obviously  not  tender. 

"  Your  opinion,  brother,"  said  Mr.  Wright,  "  is  so 
valuable,  that  no  doubt  your  nephew  has  been 
keeping  it  to  the  last  as  a  sort  of  tit-bit — eh, 
Eobin?" 

"  Well,  uncle ;  come,  let  us  have  it,"  said  Eobin. 

"You  don't  deserve  it,"  returned  Eik,  with  a 
wrench  at  the  drumstick,  "  but  you  shall  have  it  all 
the  same,  free,  gratis.  Was  this  bird  fed  on  gutta- 
percha shavings,  sister  Nan  ?" 

"  Perhaps — or  on  violin  strings,  I'm  not  sure 
which,"  replied  Mrs.  Wright  blandly. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  captain,  "  you  youngsters 
will  go  off,  I  see,  right  or  wrong,  and  you  '11  get 
half-drowned  in  the  sea,  roasted  in  the  East, 
smothered  in  the  desert,  eaten  alive  by  cannibals, 
used  up  by  the  plague,  poisoned  by  serpents,  and 
tee-totally  ruined  altogether.  Then  you  '11  come 
home  with  the  skin  of  your  teeth  on — nothing 
more." 

"  I  sincerely  hope  it  will  be  summer  at  the  time," 
said  Sam,  laughing ;  "  but  we  are  grateful  to  you 
for  prophesying  that  we  shall  return,  even  though  in 
such  light  clothins^." 

"  That 's  what  '11  happen,"  continued  the  captain, 


124  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

regarding  the  other  drumstick  with  some  hesitation; 
"  you  may  take  the  word  of  an  old  salt  for  it.  I  Ve 
lived  in  the  good  old  times,  lads,  and  I  know  that 
all  these  new-fangled  notions  are  goin'  to  burst  up 
— and  that's  what  '11  come  of  it." 

Whether  that  was  what  came  of  it  remains  to  be 
»een. 


THE  BATTEIiY  AND  THE  BOILER.  125 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  GREAT  DYNAMO-ELECTRIC  SEA-FIGHT. 

A  FEW  weeks  after  the  utterance  of  Captain  Ptik's 
famous  prophecy,  Eobin,  Sam,  Stumps,  and  Slagg 
found  themselves  on  board  of  a  large  submarine 
cable  steam-ship,  named  the  Triton,  plougliing 
the  billows  of  the  Southern  Ocean. 

A  few  weeks  later  and  they  were  drawing  near 
to  that  great  concourse  of  islands  known  as  the 
Malay  Archipelago,  where  nature  is  exceptionally 
beautiful,  but  man  is  rather  vile.  At  all  events, 
that  region  of  the  ocean  lying  to  the  south  of  China 
has  been  long  infamous  for  the  number  and  ferocity 
of  its  pirates,  who,  among  the  numerous  islands, 
with  their  various  channels,  creeks,  and  rivers,  have 
found  a  suitable  field  for  their  bloody  and  remorse- 
less game. 

"  D'  you  know  I  don't  believe  in  pirates  ?"  said 
Eobin  to  Sam,  as  they  stood  at  the  bow  of  the 
cable-ship,  conversing  about  these  sea-robbers. 

"  They  believe  in  you  nevertheless,  as  you  'd  find 


126  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

out  to  your  cost  if  we  came  across  one  just 
now," 

The  voice  that  replied  was  not  Sam's,  but  that 
of  the  captain,  who  had  come  forward  to  get  a 
clearer  sweep  of  the  horizon  ahead  with  his  glass. 

"  Do  you  think  it  likely,  sir,  that  we  may  meet 
with  any  of  the  rascals  ? "  asked  Sam. 

"  Not  at  all  unlikely,"  replied  the  captain,  fixing 
his  glass  and  putting  it  to  his  eye,  "  though  I  don't 
think  it  likely  that  we  shall  be  attacked,  as  we  are 
large  and  don't  look  like  a  richly  freighted  merchant- 
man. However,  there  is  no  saying.  These  scoundrels 
fear  nothing,  and  when  hard  up  will  attack  any- 
thing but  a  man-of-war.  I  half  suspect  that  I  am 
looking  at  one  of  them  now." 

This  latter  announcement,  calmly  uttered,  threw 
all  who  heard  it  into  quite  a  flutter  of  excitement. 

The  captain  was  a  big,  dark-skinned,  bearded 
man,  with  a  quiet,  half-humorous,  half-sarcastic  ex- 
pression of  countenance. 

"Do  you  really  think  it  is  a  pirate?"  asked 
Eobin,  eagerly. 

"  I  really  do,"  replied  the  captain,  "  and  I  fear 
we  may  have  to  run  out  of  our  course  to  avoid  her. 
You  see,  I  am  a  man  of  peace,  and  abhor  bloodshed, 
therefore  I  won't  fight  if  I  can  help  it." 

Saying  this  he  gave  orders  to  have  the  course 
of  the  steamer  changed. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  127 

Just  then  there  occurred  one  of  those  contre- 
temps which  don't  often  happen,  but  which,  when 
they  do,  are  often  prolific  of  disaster ;  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  machinery  broke  down,  and 
the  engine,  for  the  moment,  was  rendered  useless. 
It  was  most  unfortunate,  for  the  suspicious  craft 
lay  to  windward,  and  a  light  breeze  was  blowing 
which  carried  it  steadily  towards  them,  although 
all  the  sail  the  steamer  possessed  was  crowded  on 
her. 

"  Come  aft  here,  Mr.  Shipton,  and  tell  your  chief 
to  come  with  you.  I  want  to  hold  a  council  of 
war,"  said  the  captain. 

Summoning  the  first  mate  and  chief  engineer, 
as  well  as  the  electricians,  the  captain  went  to  the 
after  part  of  the  quarter-deck,  where,  seated  on  the 
taffrail,  he  deliberated  with  the  extemporised  council 
measures  for  repelling  an  expected  attack. 

What  these  deliberations  tended  to,  those  not  of 
the  council  could  not  tell,  but  from  the  energy  of 
the  members,  and  an  occasional  burst  of  laughter 
from  the  group,  it  was  obvious,  as  Jim  Slagg  re- 
marked, that  "mischief  o'  some  sort  was  in  the 
wind." 

Presently  the  council  broke  up,  and  the  members 
went  actively  below,  as  men  do  who  have  a  pur- 
pose to  carry  out  promptly. 

Meanwhile  the  pirate  vessel  came  witliin  range 


128  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

and  fired  a  shot  which  missed  them.  The  fire  was 
not  repeated.  Evidently  they  meant  to  get  within 
easy  range  before  trying  another  shot. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  electricians  came  on  deck 
with  several  large  coils  of  copper  wire,  which  they 
uncoiled  and  distributed  mysteriously  about  the 
sides  of  the  vessel.  At  the  same  time  several 
lengths  of  leathern  pump  hose  were  laid  along  the 
deck,  and  fire-branches  or  nozzles  attached  to 
them. 

"  Eun  out  our  stern-guns  now,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, Vith  a  grim  smile,  "  and  give  it  'em  hot. 
It  won't  do  to  seem  to  give  in  too  easy.  Eun  up 
the  Union  Jack.  Don't  take  aim.  I  want  more 
noise  and  smoke  than  mischief — d'  ye  under- 
stand ?" 

The  officer  to  whom  this  was  addressed,  said, 
"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  iu  the  usual  tone  of  ready  obedience, 
adding,  however,  in  an  undertoned  growl,  "but  I 
don't  understand,  for  all  that !" 

He  obeyed  the  orders  literally,  being  well 
disciplined,  and  the  result  was  a  sudden  and  most 
furious  cannonade,  for  the  pirate  replied  with 
vigour,  using  all  the  guns  he  could  bring  to  bear ; 
but  no  damage  was  done  on  either  side  for  some 
time,  until  at  last  a  ball  from  the  enemy  went 
crash  through  the  smoke  funnel  of  the  Triton  with 
a  most  sonorous  bang  ! 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  129 

*'  That  '11  do  now,"  cried  the  captain,  "  cease 
firing  and  haul  down  the  colours." 

If  the  captain  had  said,  "  Cut  away  the  rudder 
and  heave  the  boilers  overboard,"  he  could  scarcely 
have  caused  more  surprise  in  his  crew,  who,  by 
his  orders,  had  assembled  on  deck,  every  man 
being  armed  with  musket,  cutlass,  and  revolver. 
His  orders  were  strictly  and  promptly  obeyed, 
however. 

By  this  time  the  light  breeze  had  fallen  and  a 
dead  calm  prevailed,  so  that  the  sails  of  the  pirate 
flapped  idly  against  her  masts,  and  her  crew  were 
seen  busily  lowering  her  boats. 

"  We  could  have  soon  got  out  of  her  way  if  our 
engines  had  not  broke  down,"  growled  the  captain, 
as  he  went  toward  the  front  of  the  quarter-deck  and 
looked  down  on  the  armed  men  in  the  waist. 
"  My  lads,"  he  said,  "  the  blackguards  are  Malay 
pirates.  They  are  lowering  their  boats,  and  will 
be  alongside  in  less  than  half  an  hour.  I  don't 
need  to  tell  you  what  you  '11  have  to  expect  if  they 
take  us.  We  must  beat  'em  off  or  die;  for  it's 
better  to  die  sword  in  hand  than  to  be  tortured  or 
strangled.  Those  of  you,  however,  who  prefer  the 
latter  modes  of  going  under  may  show  the  white 
feather  and  enjoy  yourselves  in  your  own  way. 
Now,  lads,  you  know  me.  I  expect  obedience  to 
orders  to  the  letter.  I  hate  fighting  and  bloodshed 
I 


130  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

— SO  don't  kill  unless  you  can't  help  it.  Also, 
take  care  that  you  dou  t  touch  these  copper  wires 
on  the  sides  with  either  fiuger  or  foot.  If  you  do 
you'll  repent  it,  for  electricians  don't  like  their 
gear  handled." 

Turning  abruptly  round,  for  the  oars  of  the 
approaching  boats  could  now  be  distinctly  heard, 
the  captain  asked  Sam  if  his  batteries  were  well 
charged. 

"Chock-full,  sir,"  replied  Sam  with  a  broad  grin; 
"  there  's  not  a  bit  of  iron  all  round  the  ship  that 
a  man  could  lay  hold  of  without  receiving  his 
due  !" 

"  Good,"  said  the  captain,  turning  to  the  chief 
engineer ;  "  are  the  hose  attached  and  the  boilers 
hot  ?" 

*  Bubblin'  up  fit  to  burst,  sir.  I  've  weighted  the 
aafety  valves  to  give  it  force  ?" 

Without  another  word  the  captain  stepped  to  the 
port  gangway,  and  took  off  his  hat  to  the  advancing 
pirates.  The  pirate  captain,  not  to  be  outdone  in 
civility,  took  off  his  fez  and  bowed  as  the  boat 
ranged  alongside.  The  captain  carefully  held  out 
one  of  the  man-ropes  to  his  enemy.  He  grasped  it 
and  seized  the  other. 

An  instantaneous  yell  of  the  most  appalling 
nature  issued  from  his  mouth,  and  never  before, 
since  ship-building  began,  were  a  couple  of  man- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  1 3 1 

ropes  thrown  off  with  greater  violence  !  The  pirate 
captain  fell  back  into  his  boat,  and  the  captain  of 
the  steamer  stepped  promptly  back  to  avoid  the 
storm  of  bullets  that  were  let  fly  at  his  devoted 
head.  At  the  starboard  gangway  the  chief 
mate  performed  the  same  ceremony  to  another  boat 
with  a  like  result. 

Tlie  pirates  were  amazed  and  enraged,  but  not 
cowed.  With  a  wild  cheer  they  made  a  simul- 
taneous dash  at  the  ship's  sides  all  round.  With 
a  wilder  yell  they  fell  back  into  their  boats, — 
shocked  beyond  expression  !  A  few  of  them,  how- 
ever, chanced  to  lay  hold  of  ropes  or  parts  of  the 
vessel  that  were  not  electrified.  These  gained  the 
bulwarks. 

"  Shove  in  some  more  acid,"  said  the  chief  elec- 
trician in  suppressed  excitement  to  Sam  Shiptou, 
who  stood  beside  the  batteries  below. 

"  Stir  up  the  fires,  lads,"  cried  the  chief  engineer 
to  his  men  at  the  boilers  beneath,  as  he  stood  hold- 
ing a  fire-nozzle  ready. 

Intensified  yells  all  round  told  that  chemical 
action  had  not  been  applied  in  vain,  while  the 
pirates  who  had  gained  the  bulwarks  were  met 
with  streams  of  boiling  water  in  their  faces.  Heroes 
may  and  do  face  shot  and  shell  coolly  without 
flinching,  but  no  hero  ever  faced  boiling  water  coolly. 
The  pirates  turned  simultaneously  and  received  the 


132  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

streams  in  rear.  Light  cotton  is  but  a  poor  defence 
in  such  circumstances.  They  sloped  over  the  sides 
like  eels,  and  sought  refuge  in  the  sea.  Blazing 
with  discomfiture  and  amazement,  but  not  yet 
dismayed,  these  ferocious  creatures  tried  the 
assault  a  second  time.  Their  fury  became  greater, 
so  did  the  numbers  that  gained  a  footing  on  the 
bulwarks,  but  not  one  reached  the  deck !  The 
battery  and  the  boiler  played  a  part  that  day  which 
it  had  never  before  entered  into  the  brain  of  the 
wildest  scientist  to  conceive.  The  hissing  of  the 
hot  shower  and  the  vigour  of  the  cold  shock  were 
only  equalled  by  the  unearthly  yelling  of  the  foe, 
whose  miraculous  bounds  and  plunges  formed  a 
scene  that  is  altogether  indescribable. 

The  crew  of  the  steamer  stood  spell-bound, 
unable  to  fight  even  if  there  had  been  occasion  for 
so  doing.  The  dark-skinned  captain  became  Indian- 
red  in  the  face  from  suppressed  laughter. 

Suddenly  a  tremor  ran  through  the  steamer,  as 
if  she  too  were  unable  to  restrain  her  feelings.  During 
the  fight — if  we  may  so  call  it — the  engineers  had 
been  toiling  might  and  main  in  the  buried  depths 
of  their  engine-room ;  the  broken  parts  of  the 
engine  had  been  repaired  or  refitted,  and  a  throb 
of  life  had  returned  to  the  machinery.  In  its 
first  revolution  the  screw  touched  tlie  stern  of  a 
pirate-boat  and  turned  it  upside  down.     Another 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  133 

boat  at  the  bow  was  run  over.  The  crews  of 
both  swam  away  like  ducks,  with  their  long 
knives  between  their  teeth.  The  other  boats 
hauled  off. 

"  Now,  captain,"  cried  Eobin  Wright,  who,  during 
the  whole  time,  had  stood  as  if  transfixed,  with  a 
cutlass  in  one  hand,  a  pistol  in  the  other,  and 
his  mouth,  not  to  mention  his  eyes,  wide  open; 
"  Now,  captain,  we  shall  get  away  without  shedding 
a  drop  of  blood  !" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  captain,  "  but  not  without 
inflicting  punishment;.  Port  j^our  helm — hard  a 
port!" 

"  Port  it  is,  sir — hard  over,"  replied  the  man  at 
the  wheel,  and  away  went  the  steamer  with  a 
grand  circular  sweep  which  speedily  brought  her, 
bow-on,  close  to  the  pirate  vessel. 

"Steady — so!"  said  the  captam,  at  the  same 
time  signalling  "  full  steam "  to  the  engine- 
room. 

The  space  between  the  two  vessels  quickly 
decreased.  The  part  of  the  pirate  crew  which  had 
been  left  on  board  saw  and  understood.  With  a 
howl  of  consternation,  every  man  sprang  into  the 
sea.  Next  moment  their  vessel  was  cut  almost  in 
two  and  sent  fathoms  down  into  the  deep,  whence 
it  rose  a  limp  and  miserable  remnant,  flattened  out 
upon  the  waves. 


134  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEB, 

"Now,"  observed  the  captain,  with  a  pleasant 
nod,  "  we  11  leave  them  to  get  home  the  best 
way  they  can.  A  boat  voyage  in  such  fine 
weather  in  these  latitudes  will  do  them  good." 

Saying  which,  he  resumed  his  course,  and  steamed 
away  into  the  regions  of  the  far  East. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  135 


CHAPTER    XIIL 

TELLS  OF  A  SUDDEN  AND  UNLOOKED-FOR  EVENT. 

How  often  it  has  been  said,  "  Good  for  man  that 
he  does  not  know  what  lies  before  him."  If  he 
did,  we  fear  he  would  face  his  duty  with  very 
different  feelings  from  those  which  usually  animate 
him.  Certain  it  is  that  if  Eobin  Wright  and  Sam 
Shipton  had  known  what  was  before  them — when 
they  stood  one  breezy  afternoon  on  the  ship's  deck, 
casting  glances  of  admiration  up  at  the  mountain 
waves  of  the  southern  seas,  or  taking  bird's-eye 
views  of  the  valleys  between  them — their  eyes 
would  not  have  glistened  with  such  flashes  of 
delight,  for  the  fair  prospects  they  dreamed  of  were 
not  destined  to  bo  realised. 

What  these  prospects  were  was  made  plain  by 
their  conversation. 

"Won't  it  be  a  splendid  opportunity,  Sam,  to 
become  acquainted  with  all  the  outs  and  ins  of 
telegraphy,  this  laying  of  lines  from  island  to 
island  in  the  China  Seas  V 


136  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  It  will,  indeed,  Eobin — a  sort  of  compound  or 
alternating  land-and-submarine  line.  At  one  time 
we  shall  be  using  palm-trees  for  posts  and  carrying 
wires  through  the  habitations  of  parrots  and 
monkeys,  at  another  we  shall  be  laying  them  down 
among  the  sharks  and  coral  groves." 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Eobin,  "  is  it  true  that 
monkeys  may  prove  to  be  more  troublesome  to 
us  in  these  regions  than  sparrows  and  crows  are 
at  home  ? " 

"  Of  course  it  is,  my  boy.  Have  you  never  heard 
that  on  some  of  our  Indian  lines,  baboons,  vultures, 
and  other  heavy  creatures  have  sometimes  almost 
broken  down  the  telegraphs  by  taking  exercise  and 
roosting  on  the  wires?" 

"  Indeed,  I  hope  it  won't  be  so  with  us.  At  all 
events,  sharks  won't  be  much  tempted,  I  should 
fancy;  by  submarine  cables." 

"  There 's  no  saying,  Eobin,  They  are  not  parti- 
cular when  hungry.  By  the  way,  I  saw  you  talking 
with  unusual  earnestness  this  morning  to  Jim  Slagg ; 
what  was  the  matter  with  him  ?" 

"  Poor  fellow  !  you  'd  scarcely  believe  it,  to  look 
at  him,"  replied  Eobin,  "  but  the  lad  is  actually 
home-sick." 

"  Home-sick  !  Why,  how  's  that  ?  If  we  were 
only  a  few  days  out  from  port,  or  even  a  v,^eek  or 
two,  I  could  understand  it,  but  seeing  that  we  are 


THE  BATTEHY  AND  THE  BOILER.  137 

now  drawing  near  to  the  China  Seas,  I  should  have 
thought — " 

"  Oh,  that 's  easily  explained,"  interrupted  Eobin. 
"  This  is  his  mother's  birtliday,  it  seems,  a  day  that 
has  always  been  kept  with  much  rejoicing,  he  tells 
me,  by  his  family,  and  it  has  brought  back  home 
and  home-life  with  unusual  force  to  him.  With  all 
his  rough  off-handedness,  Slagg  is  a  tender-hearted, 
affectionate  fellow.  Somehow  he  has  taken  it  into 
his  head  that  this  voyage  will  be  disastrous,  and 
that  he  will  never  see  his  mother  again.  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  showing  him  the  unreasonable- 
ness of  such  a  belief." 

"  No  doubt  you  had.  It  is  unreasonable  beliefs 
that  people  usually  hold  with  greatest  tenacity," 
replied  Sam,  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm.  "  But  tell 
me,  have  he  and  Stumps  never  once  quarrelled 
since  leaving  England  ?" 

"  Never." 

"  I  'm  amazed — they  are  so  unlike  in  every 
way." 

"  You  would  not  be  surprised  if  you  knew  them 
as  I  do,"  returned  Eobin.  "  Ever  since  Slagg  gave 
him  that  thrashing  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  in 
1865,  Stumps  has  been  a  changed  man.  It  saved 
him  from  himself,  and  he  has  taken  such  a  liking 
to  Slagg  that  nothing  will  part  them.  It  was  that 
made  me  plead  so  hard  for  Stumps  to  be  taken 


138  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

,with  US,  because  J  felt  sure  Slagg  would  not  go 
without  him,  and  although  we  might  easily  have 
done  without  Stumps,  we  could  not  have  got  on  so 
well  without  Slagg." 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  of  that,  my  boy.  Your  opinion 
of  him  is  too  high,  though  I  admit  him  to  be  a  first- 
rate  youth.  Indeed,  if  it  were  not  so,  he  should 
not  be  here. — Was  that  a  shark's  fin  alongside  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  so.  Cook  has  been  throwing 
scraps  overboard,  I  suppose. — See,  there  goes  an 
empty  meat- tin," 

As  he  spoke  the  article  named  rose  into  the  air, 
and  fell  with  a  splash  in  the  water.  At  the  same 
time  Jim  Slagg  was  seen  to  clamber  on  the  bul- 
warks and  look  over. 

"  Come  here — look  alive,  Stumps  ! "  he  shouted. 

Stumps,  whose  proper  name,  it  is  but  fair  to 
state,  was  John  Shanks,  clambered  clumsily  to  his 
friend's  side  just  in  time  to  see  a  shark  open  its 
horrid  jaws  and  swallow  the  meat-tin. 

"  Well  now,  I  never  !  "  exclaimed  Slagg.  "  lie 
didn't  even  smell  it  to  see  if  it  was  to  his  taste," 

"  P'r'aps  he 's  swallowed  so  many  before,"  sug- 
gested Stumps,  "  that  he  takes  for  granted  it 's  all 
right." 

"  Well  it 's  on'y  flavour ;  and  he  has  caught  a 
Tartar  this  time,"  returned  the  other,  "unless,  maybe, 
tin  acts  like  pie-crust  does  on  human  vitals." 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  139 

The  low  deep  voice  of  the  captain  was  heard  at 
this  moment  ordering  a  reef  to  be  taken  in  the  top- 
sails, and  then  it  began  to  strike  Eobin  and  Sara 
that  the  breeze  was  freshening  into  something  like  a 
gale,  and  that  there  were  some  ominous-looking 
clouds  rising  on  the  windward  horizon.  Gazing  at 
this  cloudbank  for  a  few  minutes,  the  captain  turned 
and  ordered  the  top-sails  to  be  close-reefed,  and 
most  of  the  other  sails  either  furled  or  reduced  to 
their  smallest  size. 

He  was  in  good  time,  and  the  vessel  was  ready 
for  the  gale,  when  it  rushed  down  on  them  hissing 
like  a  storm-fiend. 

The  good  ship  bent  before  the  blast  like  a  willow, 
but  rose  again,  and,  under  the  influence  of  able 
seamanship,  went  bravely  on  her  course,  spurning 
the  billows  from  her  swelling  bows. 

"  What  a  thing  it  is  to  know  that  there  is  a  good 
hand  at  the  helm  in  times  of  danger!"  remarked 
Sam  as  he  and  our  hero  stood  under  the  shelter  of 
the  starboard  bulwarks,  holding  on  with  both  hands 
to  the  rigging,  while  the  rushing  waves  tossed  them 
on  high  or  let  them  drop  in  the  troughs  of  the  seas  ; 
"  I  should  feel  safe  with  our  captain  in  any  circunar 
stances." 

"  So  should  I,"  said  Eobin  with  enthusiasm,  his 
eyes  glistening  with  delight  as  he  gazed  on  the 
angry  ocean. 


140  THE  BATTERY  AND  TUE  BOILEE. 

There  was  no  thought  of  danger  in  the  mind  of 
any  one  at  that  moment.  A  good  ship,  ably  com- 
manded, well  manned,  and  with  plenty  of  sea-rocm, 
— what  more  could  be  desired  ?  Nevertheless,  deadly 
peril  was  close  at  hand. 

That  marvellous  little  creature — which,  in  the 
southern  seas,  builds  its  little  cell,  works  its  little 
day  and  dies,  leaving  to  succeeding  generations  of 
its  kind  to  build  their  little  cells  and  die,  each  using 
its  predecessor's  Jiansion  as  a  foundation  for  its  own, 
until  pile  on  pile  forms  a  mass,  and  mass  on  mass 
makes  a  mountain — the  coral  insect,  had  reared  one 
of  its  submarine  edifices  just  where  the  cable-ship 
Triton  had  to  pass  that  day.  For  ages  man  had 
traversed  that  sea  without  passing  exactly  over  that 
mountain,  and  even  if  he  had,  it  would  not  have 
mattered,  for  the  mountain  had  been  always  many 
fathoms  below  the  surface.  But  now  the  decree 
had  gone  forth.  The  conjunction  of  events  predes- 
tined had  come  about.  The  distance  between  the 
mountain  summit  and  the  ocean  surface  had  been 
reduced  to  feet.  The  Triton  rose  on  the  top  of  a 
mighty  billow  as  she  reached  the  fated  spot.  The 
ceral  peak  rose  near  the  bottom  of  the  water-hollow 
beyond,  and  down  on  it  the  doomed  ship  went  with 
an  awful  crash  ! 

Her  speed  was  checked  only  an  instant,  for  the 
top  of  the  rock  was  knocked  off  by  the  force  of  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  141 

blow,  and  the  ship  passed  swiftly  on,  but  there 
could  be  no  mistaking  the  significance  of  that  shock. 
An  involuntary  shout  of  alarm  from  some, — a  gasp, 
half  of  surprise,  half  of  horror,  from  others, — then  a 
rush  of  active  effort  when  the  captain  gave  orders  to 
man  the  pumps. 

There  was  urgent  need  for  haste.  The  mass  of 
coral  rock  had  stuck  in  the  hole  it  had  made,  else 
had  they  gone  down  in  a  few  minutes.  As  it  was, 
the  water  rushed  in  furiously,  so  much  so  that  the 
captain  detailed  a  party  of  men  to  construct  a  raft, 
while  the  rest  relieved  each  other  at  the  pumps. 
No  doubt  he  was  partly  urged  to  this  course  by  the 
consideration  that  a  vessel  weighted  with  telegraph 
cables  and  other  heavy  material  connected  therewith 
could  not  float  long  in  a  leaky  condition. 

"  Keep  close  to  me,  Eobin  ;  we  must  sink  or  swim 
together." 

It  was  Sam  who  spoke.  He  was  very  pale,  but 
his  firmly-compressed  lips  showed  no  sign  of  un- 
manly fear.  Eobin,  on  the  contrary,  taken  by 
surprise,  and  too  inexperienced  to  correctly  estimate 
sudden  danger,  was  flushed  with  the  feeling  that 
now  was  the  time  to  do  and  dare  whatever  should 
be  required  of  him  !  They  went  to  the  pumps  to- 
gether, where  Stumps  and  Slagg  were  already  at 
work  with  many  others. 

It  is  surprising  how  fast  and  hard  men  will  toil 


142  THE  BATTEnY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

when  life  depends  on  the  result.  There  was  a  cat- 
like activity  about  the  carpenter  and  his  mates  as 
they  cut,  sawed,  lashed,  and  bolted  together  the 
various  spars  and  planks  which  formed  the  raft. 
In  a  marvellously  short  space  of  time  it  was  ready 
and  launched  over  the  side,  and  towed  astern  by  the 
strongest  cable  on  board,  for  the  danger  of  parting 
from  it  in  such  weather  was  very  great.  Knowing 
this  they  had  lashed  some  casks  of  pork  and  other 
provisions  to  it  before  launching. 

Still  they  laboured  with  unflagging  resolution  at 
the  pumps,  for  many  of  those  on  board  were  picked 
men,  whose  sense  of  honour  urged  them  to  strive 
to  the  uttermost  to  save  the  ship,  for  it  was  no 
ordinary  merchantman,  freighted  with  an  ordinary 
cargo,  which  could  easily  be  replaced  as  well 
as  insured,  but  a  vessel  freighted  with  those 
magic  wires  which  couple  continents  and  unite 
humanity,  whose  loss  might  delay,  though  it  could 
not  ultimately  arrest,  the  benign  and  rapid  inter- 
course of  man  with  man  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 

"  Keep  your  eye  on  Sam  and  me,"  whispered 
Eobin  to  Jim  Slagg,  finding  himself  alongside  that 
worthy  during  a  spell  of  rest.  "  Let  us  keep 
together,  whatever  happens." 

Eobin  did  not  quite  believe  that  anything  serious 
was  going  to  happen.  Some  spirits  find  it  as 
difficult  to  believe  in  impending  disaster  as  others 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  143 

find  it  to  believe  in  continued  safety.  It  seemed 
so  impossible  to  Kobin,  in  his  inexperience,  that 
the  strong  and  still  buoyant  vessel  which  had 
borne  them  so  long  and  bravely  should  sink  ! 
Nevertheless,  like  the  rest,  he  laboured  with  a  will. 

Slagg  took  the  opportunity  to  give  a  similar 
caution  to  his  friend  Stumps. 

"  She 's  sinking,  sir,"  said  the  carpenter,  who  had 
been  sounding  the  well,  to  the  captain,  about  an 
hour  later. 

"  I  know  it ;  stand  by  to  have  the  raft  hauled 
alongside.  Knock  off  now,  lads,  there 's  no  use  in 
pumping  any  more." 

The  men  ceased,  with  a  deep  sigh,  and  by  that 
act  the  death-warrant  of  the  cable-ship  was  signed. 

During  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  the  crew 
were  busy  slipping  down  the  cable  that  held  the 
raft.  A  few  ran  below  to  fetch  small  articles  that 
they  valued,  but  by  that  time  the  vessel  was  so  low 
in  the  water,  that  there  was  little  time  to  spare, 
and  the  captain  began  to  urge  haste. 

"  Now  then,  lads,  over  the  side  with  you,"  he 
said,  chancing  to  look  at  Sam  Shipton  as  he  spoke ! 

That  spirit  of  heroism  which  induces  men  to 
resolve  to  be  the  last  to  quit  a  sinking  ship,  came 
over  Sam  just  then,  and  he  shrank  back.  He  and 
his  chief  were  in  charge  of  the  telegraph  apparatus. 
It  would  be  disgraceful  to  quit  until  all  on  board 


144  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

had  left.  He  laid  his  hand  on  the  strong  cable  that 
held  the  raft  and  said,  "  I  '11  stay  to  the  last,  sir, 
and  cast  off  the  rope,  if  you  '11  allow  me." 

"  We  don't  cast  off  ropes  in  such  circumstances," 
replied  the  captain ;  "  we  cut  'em." 

Sam  was  silenced,  but  not  the  less  resolved  to 
hold  to  his  point,  if  possible.  He  still  held  back, 
while  the  captain,  being  busy  with  the  others, 
some  of  whom  were  rather  too  eager  to  go,  paid  no 
further  attention  to  him.  Eobin,  Slagg,  and  Stumps, 
recognising  Sam  as  their  leader,  fell  behind  him 
and  kept  close. 

At  last  all  were  on  the  rai't  except  the  captain 
and  the  four  friends. 

"  Now,  then,  come  along,"  said  the  former,  some- 
what impatiently. 

'*  After  you,  sir,"  said  Sam,  with  a  polite  bow. 

"  Overboard,  sir ! "  shouted  the  captain,  in  a 
voice  that  would  brook  no  denial,  and  Sam  at  once 
stepped  on  the  bulwark,  for  he  was  not  naturally 
rebellious. 

Just  as  he  spoke  the  rope  broke,  and  the  raft 
fell  astern. 

"  Jump !  jump !  it 's  your  only  chance,"  cried  the 
captain,  at  the  same  moment  springing  into  the  sea. 

Sam  was  on  the  point  of  following,  when  an 
exclamation  from  Slagg  checked  him.  Looking 
quickly  back,  he  saw  that  Kobin  was  not  there. 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  145 

Our  hero,  while  modestly  standing  behind  his 
comrades,  had  suddenly  remembered  that  the  small 
bible  given  him  by  his  mother  was  lying  on  the 
shelf  at  the  side  of  his  berth.  He  would  have  lost 
anything  rather  than  that.  There  was  yet  time  to 
fetch  it,  so,  without  a  word,  he  turned  and  sprang 
below,  supposing  that  he  had  ample  time. 

"  Robin  !  Robin  !  "  shouted  Sam  and  Slagg  to- 
gether, at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

"  Coming  !  coming  ! "  reached  them  faintly  from 
below,  but  Robin  did  not  come.  The  hasty 
summons  induced  him  to  leap  over  a  chest  in 
returning.  He  struck  his  head  violently  against  a 
beam,  and  fell  back  stunned. 

With  another  wild  shout  his  friends  rushed  down 
the  companion  hatch  to  hasten  his  movements  by 
force.  They  found  him  almost  insensible.  Lifting 
him  quickly,  they  carried  him  on  deck,  and  bore 
him  to  the  stern  of  the  vessel. 

"Robin!  Robin!"  cried  Sam,  in  an  agony  of 
impatience — for  the  raft  was  by  that  time  far 
astern,  besides  which  the  shades  of  evening  were 
beginning  to  descend — "  do  try  to  rally.  We  must 
swim.     We're  almost  too  late.      Can  you  do  it?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  can  swim  like  a  duck,"  cried  Robin, 
rising  and  staggering  towards  the  bulwarks. 

"  But  /  can't  swim  at  all !"  cried  Stumps  in  a 
voice  of  horror. 


146  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Sam  stopped  as  if  suddenly  paralysed.  Then, 
laying  hold  of  Eobin,  held  him  back.  He  felt,  as 
he  looked  at  the  dark  heaving  sea  and  the  now- 
distant  raft,  that  it  was  not  possible  for  him  and 
Slagg  to  save  both  their  injured  and  their  helpless 
comrade. 

"  Too  late  !"  he  said  in  a  voice  of  despair,  as  he 
sat  down  and  for  a  moment  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands.  Slagg  looked  at  him  with  a  bewildered 
rather  than  a  despairing  expression. 

"  So,  we  '11  have  to  sink  together  since  we  can't 
swim  together,"  he  said  at  last,  with  a  touch  of 
reckless  vexation,  as  he  gazed  at  the  naturally 
stupid  and  by  that  time  imbecile  face  of  his  friend 
Stumps. 

"  Come,  only  cowards  give  way  to  despair,"  cried 
Sam,  starting  up.  "  We  have  one  chance  yet,  God 
be  praised,  but  let 's  work  with  a  will,  boys,  for  the 
time  is  short." 


TUB  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  147 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Sam  Shipton's  one  chance  did  not  seem  a  bright 
one,  but,  with  characteristic  energy,  he  proceeded  to 
avail  himself  of  it  at  once. 

When  the  raft  was  launched  over  the  side,  as 
described,  the  carpenters  had  embarked  upon  it 
with  the  rest  of  the  ship's  crew,  dropping  their  tools 
on  the  deck  beside  the  mass  of  unused  material 
of  ropes,  spars,  planks,  etc.,  as  they  left.  Four 
of  the  spars  were  pretty  equal  in  length.  Sam 
selected  them  hastily  and  laid  them  on  the  deck  in 
the  form  of  a  square,  or  oblong  frame.  Then  he 
seized  an  axe. 

"Unravel  some  ot  the  ropes,  Robin,"  he  cried. 
"  You  two  select  some  planks  as  near  ten  feet  long 
as  possible.  Quick — ask  no  questions,  but  do  what 
I  tell  you." 

Sam  Shipton  was  one  of  those  who  hold  the 
opinion  that  every  man  born  into  the  world, 
whether   gentle  or   simple,  should   learn  a  trade. 


U8  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

He  had  acted  on  his  belief  and  taught  himself 
that  of  a  carpenter,  so  that  he  wielded  the  axe  with 
skill,  and  gave  his  orders  with  the  precision  of  one 
who  knows  what  he  is  about.  His  comrades, 
although  not  trained  to  any  special  trade,  were 
active  handy  fellows,  with  the  exception,  indeed,  of 
John  Shanks,  whose  fingers  were  usually  described 
as  "  thumbs,"  and  whose  general  movements  were 
clumsy;  but  Stumps  had  a  redeeming  quality  to 
set  against  defects — he  was  willing. 

With  a  few  powerful  well-directed  blows,  Sam 
cut  four  deep  notches  into  the  two  longest  of  the 
selected  spars,  near  their  ends,  at  equal  distances 
from  each  other.  Into  these  he  laid  the  ends  of 
the  two  shorter  spars,  thus  forming  a  frame-work. 

"  Twelve  feet  by  ten,  not  a  bad  raft,"  he 
muttered,  as  if  to  himself,  while  he  snatched  a  rope 
from  the  bundle  of  those  disentangled  by  Eobin. 
"  Take  a  rope  of  same  size  you  two,  and  lash  tlie 
opposite  corners  as  you  see  me  doing.  Stumps  will 
go  on  selecting  the  planks." 

Sam  jerked  out  his  words  with  as  much  rapidity 
and  force  as  he  applied  to  the  labour  of  his  hands. 
There  was  something  quite  tremendous  in  his 
energy — and  little  wonder,  for,  as  he  glanced  row 
and  then  along  the  deck,  he  saw  that  the  ship  was 
rapidly  settling  down  to  her  final  dive,  and  that  the 
closing  scene  would  be  sudden. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  149 

Powerfully  impressed  by  his  example,  the  others 
worked  in  total  silence  and  with  all  their  might,  for 
Sam's  conduct,  far  more  than  the  appearance  of 
things,  convinced  them  of  their  danger. 

"  The  planks  now.  Stumps  !  Drive  in  as  many 
of  these  clamps  as  you  can  find,  Slagg — so  (lie  set 
the  example) — we've  no  time  to  bore  holes  for 
bolts.  A  plank  now ;  that 's  it !  Hand  some 
nails — no,  the  biggest  nails  and  the  big  hammer. 
]\Iind  your  fingers  !  " 

Down  came  the  heavy  hammer  on  a  four-inch 
nail,  which  went  half  through  the  thick  plank. 
Two  more  such  blows  and  the  iron  head  was 
buried  in  the  wood.  Six  planks  sufficed  to  cover 
the  frame.  They  were  laid  lengthwise  with  nails 
just  sufficient  to  hold  them.  A  piece  of  thick  rope 
passed  four  times  round  the  entire  fabric  still 
further  secured  them  in  position. 

"Tie  a  lot  of  these  nails  in  a  bit  of  sailcloth, 
Slagg,  and  fix  'em  to  the  raft — to  one  of  the  spars, 
not  the  planks.  Do  the  same  with  a  saw,  hammer, 
axe,  and  cask  of  biscuit — water,  too ;  don't  forget 
water.  Make  a  belt  of  a  bit  of  rope,  Eobin,  and 
stick  that  small  axe  in  it.     Have  it  handy." 

While  he  spoke  Sam  did  not  look  up,  but  gave 
all  his  attention  to  the  tightening,  with  a  hand- 
spike, of  the  knot  on  the  thick  rope  that  bound 
the  raft  together ;  for  we  may  as  well  inform  those 


150  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

who  don't  know  it,  that  the  tying  of  a  knot  on  a 
cable  is  not  managed  in  the  same  way  or  with  the 
same  ease  that  a  similar  operation  is  performed  on 
a  piece  of  twine. 

"  But  how  shall  we  lift  it  over  the  side  ? "  asked 
Stumps,  becoming  suddenly  alive  to  a  difficulty. 

"  Help  me  to  haul  on  this  rope  and  you  shall 
see,"  said  Sam. 

He  ran  to  the  side,  lifted  a  coil  of  rope  off  its 
belaying-pin,  threw  it  on  the  deck,  cut  the  rope 
clear,  and  hauled  it  to  the  raft,  to  one  end  of  which 
he  made  it  fast. 

It  was  the  strong  rope,  by  means  of  which  one  of 
the  mizzen  yards  was  braced,  and  was  rove  through 
a  block  attached  to  the  outward  end  of  the  yard. 

"  Hoist  away  now — with  a  will ! " 

"  Hold  on,"  cried  Slagg,  stuffing  a  mass  of  sail- 
cloth violently,  by  means  of  a  handspike,  under- 
neath the  binding  rope  of  the  raft. 

"  There  now — yo  ho  !  heave  ho — o  ! " 

Up  went  the  end  of  the  little  ark  of  safety,  and 
v/hen  one  end  was  raised  very  little  force  was 
required  to  push  it  over. 

"Hold  on!  hold  on!  hold— o— o — on!"  yelled 
Stumps,  straining  to  prevent  the  raft  from  leav- 
ing the  ship. 

"  No,  no. — Let  go  !  let  go  !  let  go — o — o  !"  roared 
Sam. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  151 

Stumps  did  let  go  and  almost  fell  from  the  com- 
bined effect  of  his  efforts  and  despair,  as  the  raft 
swung  off,  splashed  into  the  sea  far  out  of  reach, 
and  hung  half  suspended  from  the  yard-arm. 

"  It 's  all  up  with  us,"  gasped  Stumps. 

"  Not  yet,  but  it  will  be  all  up  with  us  in  two 
minutes,"  returned  Sam,  unable  to  repress  a  smile 
even  at  that  moment. 

"What  d'ye  mean?"  said  Stumps  in  amazement. 
"  How  can  we  ever  git  at  it  now  ?" 

"  Why,  stoopid,"  said  Slagg,  "  don't  you  see  that 
w^e've  only  to  go  up  the  mast,  out  on  the  yard- 
arm,  and  slip  down  the  rope." 

While  he  was  speaking,  Kobin,  by  Sam's  orders, 
was  performing  the  feat  referred  to. 

"  Look  sharp  !"  he  cried,  turning  to  the  others. 

A  heavy  lurch  of  the  ship  caused  their  breasts  to 
leap  almost  as  fast  as  their  bodies,  for  they  were  all 
more  or  less  aware  of  the  danger  of  the  ship  sinking 
before  they  could  get  clear  of  her.  The  darkness, 
too,  was,  as  we  have  said,  increasing  by  that  time, 
though  it  was  still  light  enough  to  enable  them  to 
see  what  they  were  about. 

In  a  few  minutes  they  all  had  gained  the  end  of 
the  yard-arm,  slipped  down  the  rope,  and  got  upon 
the  raft,  but  it  was  difficult  to  hold  on,  because  at 
each  heave  of  the  ship,  the  fore- end  of  the  raft  was 
raised  quite  out  of  the  sea,  and  then  let  fall  with 


152  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

considerable  violence.  As  soon  as  Sam  reached  it, 
lie  bade  Eobin  cut  adrift  with  his  axe,  so  great  was 
the  heave ;  but  at  the  moment  the  raft  hung  almost 
I)erpendicularly  in  the  air,  and  Robin  could  do 
nothing  but  cling  to  the  rope  that  bound  it.  Next 
instant  it  again  fell  flat  on  the  sea. 

"  Now — cut !"  cried  Sam. 

The  rope  was  severed  with  one  blow ;  almost  at 
the  same  instant  the  stern  of  the  Triton  flew  up 
with  a  degree  of  violence  that  no  wave  could 
account  for.  It  was  her  last  fling.  Instantly  after 
she  went  down  head  foremost.  The  masts,  by  good 
fortune,  leaned  away  from  the  raft  at  the  time,  else 
they  would  have  been  struck  by  the  yards,  or 
involved  in  the  rigging.  As  it  was  they  did  not 
escape.  The  vast  whirlpool  caused  by  the  sinking 
ship  drew  them  in  with  irresistible  power.  For 
one  moment  the  horrified  youths  saw  a  dark  green 
vortex  towards  which  they  rushed.  Another 
moment,  and  they  beheld  a  green  funnel  whirling 
round  them  as  they  sank  into  midnight  dark- 
ness, while  an  ocean  of  roaring  water  filled  their 
ears. 

"Who  shall  attempt  to  describe  the  feelings  or 
sensations  of  that  moment!  The  one  absorbing 
idea' of  self-preservation  was  of  course  dominant, 
coupled  with  an  intolerable  feeling  that  the  upper 
air  could  never  be  retrained. 


TIIE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  153 

It  was  reached,  however,  by  all  of  them.  First 
by  Sam  Shipton,  who  shot  waist-high  above  the 
sea  with  a  loud  gasp,  and  struck  out  wildly.  Then, 
recovering  presence  of  mind,  he  swam  more  gently, 
and  looked  eagerly  round.  He  was  immediately 
followed  by  Eobin  and  Slagg.  Last  of  all  by 
Stumps,  who  came  up  legs  foremost,  and,  on  turning 
other  end  up,  saluted  them  with  a  roar  that  would 
not  have  shamed  a  monster  of  the  deep.  But  the 
roar  was  cut  short  by  a  gurgle,  as,  in  his  frantic 
struggles,  he  sank  himself  again. 

Observing  this,  and  seeing  that  the  others  were 
comparatively  self-possessed,  Sam  made  towards 
his  drowning  comrade.  The  poor  fellow,  catching 
sight  of  him  as  he  came  near,  made  a  clutch  at  him, 
but  Sam  was  well  aware  of  the  danger  of  being 
gi'asped  by  a  drowning  man.  He  swerved  aside, 
and  Stumps  sank  with  a  gurgle  of  despair.  Twice 
ao-ain  did  he  rise  and  sink.  Once  more  he  rose. 
With  a  rapid  stroke  Sam  swam  behind  him  and 
caught  him  under  the  armpits.  Violently  did  the 
poor  fellow  strive  to  turn  round  and  clasp  his 
preserver,  but  Sam,  treading  water,  held  him  easily 
at  arm's-length  with  his  head  just  above  the  surface. 
As  long  as  he  struggled  nothing  more  could  be  done 
for  him ;  Sam  therefore  put  his  mouth  as  near  to 
his  ear  as  possible  and  shouted — 

"  Stop  struggling  !  else  I  '11  let  you  go  !" 


154  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

It  was  probably  as  much  the  tone  of  Sam's  voice 
as  the  sense  of  these  words  that  cahned  Stumps. 
At  all  events  he  instantly  lay,  or  rather  hung,  per- 
fectly limp  and  still. 

"  Now,"  continued  Sam,  "  you  are  quite  safe  if 
you  do  what  I  tell  you.     If  you  don't  you're  a 
dead  man  !     D'  you  understand  ?" 
"  Yes,"  gasped  Stumps. 

"  Let  your  hands  and  arms  lie  flat  on  the  water  ! 
Don't  try  to  raise  your  head  farther  than  I  let  you  ! 
Keep  your  feet  still!  Let  yourself  hang  helpless 
while  I  hold  you  and  look  round  for  the  raft." 

It  was  obvious  that  Stumps  had  regained  self- 
command,  for  as  each  of  these  orders  was  shouted  in 
his  ear,  m  the  tones  of  a  sergeant-major,  he  obeyed 
with  eager,  almost  ludicrous,  promptitude. 

"  The  raft  is  here,  close  at  hand,"  said  a  voice 
close  to  Sam's  ear. 

It  was  Eobin  who  had  discovered  him  at  that 
moment. 

"  Is  Slagg  safe  ?"  asked  Sam. 
"  Here  he  is,  aU.  right,"  said  the  worthy  referred  to, 
puffmg  and  choking  as  he  swam  up. 

"  Keep  ofi" — don't  get  in  front  of  him,"  said  Sam, 
in  a  warning  voice.  "He  mayn't  have  recovered 
self-restraint  enough  yet  to  refrain  from  grasping 
you.  Guide  me  to  the  raft,  Eobin,  while  I  swim  on 
my  back,  and  see  that  you  don't  let  it  hit  me  on  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  155 

head  when  I  come  close.  You  and  Slagg  help  each 
other  on,  and  then  help  me  with  Stumps." 

Nothing  could  have  calmed  Stumps  more  than 
the  cool,  firm  way  in  which  these  orders  were  given, 
so  that  he  allowed  himself  to  lie  like  a  log  while  his 
deliverer  drew  him  gently  backwards  until  the  back 
of  his  head  rested  on  his  bosom.  Sam  then  struck 
out  gently  with  his  legs ;  Eobin  turned  him  with  a 
push  in  the  right  direction,  and  thus,  swimming  on 
his  back,  he  reached  the  raft.  Slagg  and  Eobin  hav- 
ing already  helped  each  other  upon  it,  grasped  his 
hair.  At  once  he  freed  one  hand  and  caught  the  rope 
that  bound  the  raft.  Stumps  naturally  slewed  round, 
so  that  his  mouth  and  nose  went  for  a  moment  under 
water.  Fancying  that  he  was  forsaken,  he  caught 
Sam  round  the  neck,  drew  himself  up,  and  gave  a 
terrific  yell. 

"  Ha !  you  may  choke  me  now,  if  you  can," 
muttered  Sam,  as  he  grasped  the  rope  with  both 
hands,  "only,  the  longer  you  hold  on  to  me  the 
longer  you  will  be  of  getting  out  of  the  water." 

The  terrified  lad  still  retained  sufficient  sense  to 
appreciate  the  force  of  the  remark.  Looking  up 
as  well  as  he  could  through  his  dishevelled  hair,  he 
held  out  one  hand  to  Slagg,  who  grasped  it  firmly. 
Releasing  Sam,  with  some  hesitation  he  made  a 
convulsive  grasp  at  Eobin  with  the  other  hand. 
Robin  met  him  iialf  way.    A  loud  "  heave  ho  !"  and  a 


156  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

mighty  pull  brought  him  out  of  the  sea,  and  sent  him 
with  a  squash  on  the  boards  of  the  raft,  where  Le 
lay  gripping  the  ropes  with  his  hands  as  with  a  vice. 

Before  his  rescuers  could  turn  to  aid  Sam,  he  stood 
panting  beside  them. 

"  Thank  God,"  said  Sam,  "  for  this  deliverance  !" 

"Amen!"  was  the  earnest  and  prompt  response 
from  the  others. 

Yet  it  seemed  but  a  temporary  deliverance,  for 
when  these  castaways  looked  around  them,  they  saw 
nothing  but  a  heaving  ocean  and  a  darkening  sky, 
with  the  tiny  raft  as  the  only  visible  solid  speck  in 
all  the  watery  waste.  Compared,  however,  with  the 
extremity  of  danger  through  which  they  had  just 
passed,  the  little  platform  on  which  they  stood 
seemed  to  them  an  ample  refuge — so  greatly  do  cir- 
cumstances alter  our  estimate  of  facts  ! 

But  they  had  not  time  to  think  much,  as  may  be 
easily  understood,  for  a  great  deal  still  remained  to 
be  done.  Their  little  ark  was  by  no  means  secure. 
We  have  said  that  only  enough  of  nails  had  been 
driven  into  it  to  hold  the  planks  to  the  framework, 
but  not  to  withstand  rough  treatment.  Indeed, 
during  the  plunge  two  of  the  planks  had  been  torn 
off,  but  the  binding  rope  held  them  to  their  places, 
as  Sam  had  foreseen. 

Very  little  daylight  now  remained,  so  that  not  a 
moment  was  to  be  lost. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  157 

"No  sigu  of  the  big  raft,"  said  Sam,  stooping  to 
unfasten  the  hammer  and  packet  of  nails,  after 
taking  one  quick,  anxious  glance  round  the 
horizon. 

"  But  it  may  be  not  far  off  after  all,"  said  Slagg, 
kneeling  down  to  aid  his  comrade,  while  Stumps,  by 
that  time  recovered,  assisted  Eobin  to  tighten  the 
ropes  that  held  the  pork  barrel.  "  With  such  poor 
light  it  'ud  be  hard  to  make  out  a  flat  thing  like 
that  a-kickin'  in  the  hollows  of  the  seas." 

"  But  you  forget,"  returned  Sam,  "  that  it  must 
be  a-kickin'  on  the  top  o'  the  sea  as  well  as  in  the 
hollows.  Another  nail — thanks.  However,  I  don't 
expect  to  see  it  again." 

"  Well,  now,  I  expects  to  see  it  in  the  mornin' 
not  far  off,"  said  Slagg.  "Is  the  water-cask  fast, 
Eobin  ?" 

"All  right — and  the  pork  too." 
"And   the  sail.     Just  give  it  an   extra   shove 
under  the  ropes,  Eobin.     We  'd  be  badly  off  if  we 
lost  it.'' 

"  I  don't  see  what  good  a  sail  can  do  us,"  said 
Stumps,  who  had  now  quite  recovered. 

"Not  as  a  sail.  Stumpy,"  replied  Slagg,  whose 
spirit  soon  recovered  elasticity,  "though  even  in 
that  way  it  may  help  us,  but  as  a  blanket  we 
shall  appreciate  it  before  long." 

Slagg  was  right.     After  the  planking  had  been 


158  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

secured  and  the  rope  refastened,  those  unfortunates 
found  themselves  in  an  unenviable  position.  The 
gale  had  indeed  abated  somewhat,  though  the  heav- 
ing of  the  great  waves  was  little  less  tremendous, 
but  the  night  had  settled  down  into  a  state  of 
pitchy  darkness,  so  that  they  could  barely  see  each 
other's  faces,  while  the  seas  continually  washed 
over  them,  obliging  them  to  hold  on  to  the  ropes 
for  fear  of  being  washed  away. 

In  such  circumstances  sleep  was  out  of  the 
question,  yet  they  stood  sorely  in  need  of  rest. 

"  Now  we  '11  see  what 's  to  be  done  wi'  the  sail," 
said  Slagg,  after  they  had  been  seated  some  time 
doing  nothing.  "  Sleep  I  want,  an'  sleep  I  '11  have, 
so  lend  a  hand,  boys." 

He  drew  out  the  sail  with  some  trouble,  so  well 
had  it  been  stuffed  in,  and  bade  the  others  hold  and 
prevent  it  from  flapping  while  he  fastened  the 
corners  down.  He  did  not  arrange  it  like  a  tent, 
but  spread  it  as  flat  as  possible,  doubling  the  super- 
fluous edges  inward,  so  that  it  presented  little  or  no 
obstruction  to  the  free  passage  of  wind  or  water 
over  them. 

This  done,  they  all  crept  underneath,  and  found 
it  to  be  a  much  snugger  den  than  they  had  ex- 
pected, for  the  two  casks  prevented  their  heads 
from  being  pressed  down  when  a  few  tons  of  water 
rolled  over  them — as  occasionally  happened. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  159 

Still  they  did  not  dare  to  sleep  until  each  had 
fastened  a  rope  round  his  waist  and  bound  himself 
to  the  flooring.  Having  done  so,  each  laid  himself 
alongside  of  a  turn  of  the  binding  cable,  and,  em- 
bracing that  affectionately  with  both  arms,  laid  his 
head  on  the  planks  and  shut  his  eyes. 

Many  and  varied  are  the  conditions  under  which 
healthy  members  of  the  human  family  seek  and 
find  repose,  but  we  venture  to  think  that  few  con- 
ditions have  ever  been  found  which  were  more 
unfavourable  to  sleep  than  that  which  has  just 
been  described. 

Nevertheless,  they  were  met  promptly  by  slumber 
most  profound,  as  they  lay  wet  and  weary  on  the 
little  raft  that  disastrous  night,  on  the  dark  and 
surging  breast  of  the  Southern  Sea, 


160  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 


CHx\PTE£     XV. 


LIFE  ON  THE  RAFT. 


To  awake  "all  at  sea" — in  other  words,  ignorant 
of  one's  locality — is  a  rather  common  experience, 
but  to  awaken  both  at  and  in  the  sea,  in  a  similar 
state  of  oblivion,  is  not  so  common. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  Eobin  Wright  to  do  so  on 
the  hrst  morning  after  the  day  of  the  wreck. 

At  first,  when  he  opened  his  eyes,  he  fancied, 
from  the  sound  of  water  in  his  ears,  that  it  must 
have  come  on  to  rain  very  heavily,  but,  being  re- 
gardless of  rain,  he  tried  to  fall  asleep  again.  Then 
he  felt  as  if  there  must  be  a  leak  in  his  berth  some- 
where, he  was  so  wet ;  but,  being  sleepy,  he  shut 
his  eyes,  and  tried  to  shut  his  senses  against  mois- 
ture. Not  succeeding,  he  resolved  to  turn  on  his 
other  side,  but  experienced  a  strange  resistance  to 
that  effort.  Waxing  testy,  he  wrenched  himself 
round,  and  in  so  doing  kicked  out  somewhat  im- 
patiently. This,  of  course,  woke  him  up  to  the  real 
state  of  the  case.    It  also  awoke  Slagg,  who  received 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  IGl 

the  kick  on  his  shins.  He,  delivering  a  cry  of 
pain  straight  into.  Sam  Shipton's  ear,  caused  that 
youth  to  fling  out  his  fist,  which  fell  on  Stumps's 
nose,  and  thus  in  rapid  succession  were  the 
sleepers  roused  effectually  to  a  full  sense  of  their 
condition. 

"  It 's  cold,"  remarked  Stumps,  with  chattering 
teeth. 

"  You  should  be  thankful  that  you  're  alive  to 
feel  the  cold,  you  ungrateful  creetur,"  said  Slagg. 

"  I  am  thankful,  Jim,"  returned  the  other  humbly, 
as  he  sought  to  undo  the  rope  that  held  him  fast; 
"  but  you  know  a  feller  can  scarcely  express  thanks 
or — or — otherwise  half  asleep,  an'  his  teeth  goin' 
like  a  pair  o'  nut- crackers." 

"  The  wind  is  evidently  down,"  remarked  Sam, 
who  had  already  undone  his  lashings.  "  Here, 
Eobin,  help  me  to  untie  this  corner  of  the  sail.  I 
had  no  idea  that  sleeping  with  one's  side  in  a  pool 
of  water  would  make  one  so  cold  and  stiff." 

"  If  it  had  bin  a  pool,  Mr.  Shipton,"  said  Slagg, 
"it  wouldn't  have  made  you  cold; 'cause  why?  you'd 
have  made  it  warm.  But  it  was  the  sea  wasliin' 
out  and  in  fresh  that  kep'  the  temperater  low — 
d'ee  see  ?" 

"  What  a  cargo  o'  rheumatiz  we  've  been  a-layin' 
in  this  night  for  old  age,"  s^id  Stumps  ruefully,  as 
he  rubbed  his  left  shoulder. 

L 


162  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Tlirowing  off  the  sail,  Sam  stood  up  and  looked 
round,  while  an  exclamation  of  surprise  and  pleasure 
broke  from  him.  The  contrast  between  the  night 
and  morning  was  more  than  usually  striking.  Not 
only  had  darkness  vanished  and  the  wind  gone 
down,  but  there  was  a  dead  calm  which  had  changed 
the  sea  into  a  sheet  of  undulating  glass,  and  the 
sun  had  just  risen,  flooding  the  sky  with  rosy  light, 
and  tipping  the  summit  of  each  swell  with  gleam- 
ing gold.  The  gentle,  noiseless  heaving  of  the  long 
swell,  so  far  from  breaking  the  rest  of  nature, 
rather  deepened  it  by  suggesting  the  soft  breath- 
ings of  slumber.  There  were  a  few  gulls  float- 
ing each  on  its  own  image,  as  if  asleep,  and  one 
great  albatross  soared  slowly  in  the  bright  sky, 
as  if  acting  the  part  of  sentinel  over  the  resting 
sea. 

"How  glorious  !"  exclaimed  Eobin,  as,  with  flash- 
ing eyes,  he  gazed  round  the  scarce  perceptible 
horizon. 

"  How  hard  to  believe,"  said  Sam,  m  a  low 
voice,  "  that  we  may  have  been  brought  here  to 
die." 

"  But  surely  you  do  not  think  our  case  so  des- 
perate ?"  said  Eobin. 

"  I  hope  it  is  not,  but  it  may  be  so." 

"God  forbid,"  responded  liobin  earnestly. 

As  he  spoke  his  arm  pressed  the  little  bible  which 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  163 

he  had  rescued   from  the  wreck.       Tlivustiiifr   his 

O 

hand  into  his  bosom  he  drew  it  out. 

"Darling  mother  !"  he  said,  "when  she  gave  me 
this  she  told  me  to  consult  it  daily,  but  especially  in 
times  of  trouble  or  danger.  I  '11  look  into  it  now, 
Sam." 

He  opened  the  book,  and,  selecting  the  verse  that 
first  met  his  eye,  read  :  "  In  all  their  affliction  he 
was  afflicted,  and  the  angel  of  his  presence  saved 
them ;  in  his  love  and  in  his  pity  he  redeemed 
them  ;  and  he  bare  them  and  carried  them  all  the 
days  of  old." 

"That's  a  grand  word  for  us,  isn't  it? — from 
Isaiah,"  said  Eobin. 

"Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it?"  asked  Sam, 
whose  religious  education  had  not  been  attended  to 
as  well  as  that  of  his  friend. 

"That  our  God  is  full  of  love,  and  pity,  and 
sympathy,  so  that  we  have  nothing  to  fear,"  said 
Eobin. 

"  But  sui-ely  you  can't  regard  that  as  a  message 
to  us  when  you  know  that  you  turned  to  it  by 
mere  chance,"  said  Sam. 

"  I  do  regard  it  as  a  special  message  to  us,"  re- 
turned Eobin  with  decision. 

"And  what  if  you  had  turned  up  an  entirely 
unsuitable  or  inapplicable  verse?"  said  Sam. 

"  Then  I  should  have  concluded  that  God  had  no 


164  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

special  message  for  us  just  now,  but  left  us  to  that 
ireneral  comfort  and  instruction  contained  through- 
out  the  whole  word.  When,  however,  special 
comfort  is  sought  and  found,  it  seeins  to  me  un- 
grateful to  refuse  it." 

"  But  I  don't  refuse  it,  Eobin,"  returned  Sam  ; 
"  I  merely  doubt  whether  it  is  sent  to  us  or 
not." 

"Why.  Sam,  all  the  bible  was  sent  to  us  for 
comfort  and  instruction." 

"  True — true.  I  have  not  thought  much  on  that 
subject,  Eobin^  but  I'll  try  to  believe  at  present 
that  you  are  right,  for  we  stand  much  in  need  of 
strong  hope  at  all  events.  Here  we  are,  none  of  us 
knows  how  far  from  the  nearest  land,  with  little 
food  and  less  water,  on  a  thing  that  the  first  stiff 
breeze  may  knock  to  pieces,  without  shelter  and 
without  compass  !" 

'•'  Without  shelter  and  compass,  Mr.  Shipton  V 
said  Jim  Slagg,  who  had  hitherto  listened  in  silence 
to  the  conversation  ;  "  why,  what  d'  ye  call  this  ? " 
(taking  hold  of  the  sail).  "  Ain't  that  shelter 
enough,  and  won't  the  sun  guide  us  by  day  and 
the  stars  by  night.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  're  too 
despondin',  Mr.  Shipton." 

"  Don't  '  mister '  me  any  more,  Slagg.  It  was  all 
very  well  aboard  sliip  where  we  had  our  relative 


THE  BATTEUY  AND  THE  COILEK.  165 

positions,  but  now  we  are  comrades  in  distress,  and 
must  be  on  an  equal  footing." 

"  Very  good,"  replied  Slagg,  looking  round  in  his 
comrades'  faces,  and  raising  his  voice  as  if  making 
a  speech.  "  Bein'  equal,  as  you  say,  I  takes  the 
liberty  o'  callin'  a  general  meetin'  o'  this  free  and — 
if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression — easy  Eepublic. 
Moreover,  I  move  myself  into  the  chair  and  second 
the  motion,  which,  nobody  objectin',  is  carried 
unanimously.  Gentlemen,  the  business  of  this 
here  meetin'  is  to  appoint  a  commander  to  this 
here  ship,  an'  what  could  be  more  in  accordance 
with  the  rule  o'  three — not  to  mention  the  rules  o' 
four  and  common  sense — than  a  Shipton  taldn' 
command.  Who's  goin'  to  make  the  first  resloo- 
tion  ? " 

Entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing,  Eobin 
moved  that  Samuel  Shipton  be  appointed  to  com- 
mand the  ship  and  the  party,  with  the  title  of 
captain. 

"  And  without  pay,"  suggested  Slagg. 

"And  /  move,"  said  Stumps,  who  was  just 
beginning  to  understand  the  joke,  though  a  little 
puzzled  by  the  fact  that  it  was  done  in  earnest, 
"  I  move  that  Eobin  Wright  be  first  leftenant." 

"  Bray  vo.  Stumps  !  "  cried  Slagg,  "  your  intellec' 
3S  growin'.  It  on'y  remains  to  appoint  you  ship's 
monkey    and    maid-of- all- work  —  specialty    dirty 


166  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

work — and,  then,  with  a  hearty  vote  o'  thanks  to 
myself  for  my  conduct  in  the  chair,  to  vacate  the 
same  an'  dissolve  the  meetin'." 

These  matters  having  been  satisfactorily  settled, 
the  castaways  proceeded  to  prepare  breakfast,  and 
while  this  was  being  done  the  recently  appointed 
captain  looked  once  more  anxiously  round  in  the 
hope  of  seeing  the  large  raft  with  their  late  ship- 
mates on  it,  but  it  was  not  to  be  seen.  Neither 
raft,  ship,  nor  any  other  sign  of  man  was  visible  on 
all  the  glittering  sea. 

Breakfast  was  not  a  tempting  meal.  The  biscuits 
were,  indeed,  as  good  as  ship's  biscuits  ever  are, 
and  when  moistened  with  sea  water  formed  a  com- 
paratively pleasant  as  well  as  strengthening  food  ; 
but  the  barrel  of  pork  was  raw ;  they  had  ]io 
means  of  cooking  it,  and  had  not  yet  experienced 
those  pangs  of  hunger  which  induce  men  to  luxuriate 
in  anything  that  will  allay  the  craving.  They 
therefore  breakfasted  chiefly  on  biscuit,  merely 
making  an  attempt,  with  wry  faces,  to  swallow  a 
little  pork. 

Observing  this,  Sam  said,  in  a  half-jocular 
manner : — 

"  Now,  my  lads,  it  is  quite  clear  to  me  that  in 
taking  command  of  this  ship,  my  first  duty  is  to 
point  out  the  evils  that  will  flow  from  unrestrained 
appetite  for  biscuit ; — also  to  insist  on  the  cultiva- 


THE  BATTEUY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  1G7 

tion  of  a  love  for  raw  pork.  You  have  no  notion 
how  good  it  is  when  fairly  believed  in.  Anyhow 
you'll  have  to  try,  for  it  won't  do  to  eat  up  all 
the  biscuit,  and  have  to  feed  at  last  on  pure 
pork." 

"  I  calls  it  impure  pork,"  said  Slagg ;  "  hows'- 
ever,  capting,  you  've  on'y  to  give  the  word  and 
we  obey.  P'raps  the  best  way  '11  be  to  put  us  on 
allowance." 

This  suggestion  was  at  once  acted  on,  and  a  con- 
siderable part  of  that  bright  day  was  spent  by  Sam 
and  Eobin  in  calculating  how  much  pork  should  go 
to  a  biscuit,  so  that  they  should  diminish  in  an 
equal  ratio,  and  how  much  of  both  it  would  be  safe 
to  allow  to  each  man  per  diem,  seeing  that  they 
might  be  many  days,  perhaps  even  weeks,  at  sea.. 
While  the  "  officers  "  were  thus  engaged,  Slagg  and 
his  friend  Stumps  busied  themselves  in  making  a 
mast  and  yard  out  of  one  of  the  planks — split  in  two 
for  the  purpose — and  fitting  part  of  their  sail  to  the 
same. 

Evening  found  them  with  the  work  done,  a  small 
sail  hoisted  on  the  rude  mast,  the  remaining  part 
of  the  canvas  fitted  more  securely  as  a  covering, 
and  the  apportioned  meal  before  them.  But  the 
sail  hung  idly  from  its  yard  and  flapped  gently 
to  and  fro  as  the  little  ark  rose  and  sank  on  the 
swell,  fur  the  calm  still  prevailed  and  the  gorgeous 


168  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

sunset,  with  its  golden  clouds  and  bright  blue  sky, 
was  so  faithfully  reflected  in  the  sea,  that  they 
seemed  to  be  floating  in  the  centre  of  a  crystal  ball 
which  had  been  dipped  in  the  rainbow. 

When  night  descended,  the  scene  was,  if  pos- 
sible, still  more  impressive,  for  although  the  bright 
colours  had  vanished,  the  castaways  still  floated  in 
the  centre  of  a  dark  crystal  universe,  whose  unutter- 
able depths  were  radiant  with  stars  of  varied  size 
and  hue. 

Long  they  sat  and  gazed  in  solemn  admiration  at 
the  scene,  talking  in  subdued  tones  of  past,  present, 
and  future,  until  their  eyes  refused  to  do  their 
office  and  the  heavy  lids  began  to  droop.  Then, 
reluctantly,  they  crept  beneath  the  sail-cloth  cover- 
ing and  lay  down  to  rest. 

The  planks  were  hard,  no  doubt,  but  our  cast- 
aways were  hardy ;  besides,  a  few  folds  of  the 
superfluous  portions  of  the  large  sail  helped  to 
soften  the  planks  here  and  there. 

"Now,  boys,"  said  Slagg,  as  he  settled  himself 
with  a  long-drawn  sigh,  "  the  on'y  thing  we  wants 
to  make  us  perfectly  happy  is  a  submarine  tele- 
graph cable  'tween  this  an'  England,  to  let  us 
say  good  night  to  our  friends  ashore,  an'  hope 
they  won't  be  long  in  sending  out  to  search  for 
us." 

It  is  sad  to  be  obliged    to  record  that,  Slanror'3 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  1G9 

companions  being  already  asleep,  this  tremendous 
and  original  piece  of  pleasantry  was  literally  cast 
upon  the  waters,  where  it  probably  made  no  im- 
pression wliatever  on  the  inhabitants  of  the 
slumbering  sea. 


170  THE  13ATTEUY  AND  THE  EOlLEli, 


CHAPTEE    XVI. 

IN  WHICH  WILL  BE  FOUND  MORK  SURPEISES  THAN  ONE. 

Events  of  the  most  singular  description  are  often 
prefaced  by  incidents  of  the  most  commonplace 
character.  Who  so  inexperienced  in  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  as  not  to  know  this  ! 

Early  in  the  morning  that  succeeded  their  second 
night  on  the  raft,  Eobin  Wright  awoke  with  a  very 
commonplace,  indeed  a  vulgar,  snore ;  we  might 
almost  call  it  a  snort.  Such  as  it  was,  however,  it 
proved  to  be  a  most  important  link  in  the  chain  of 
events  which  it  is  our  province  to  narrate. 

To  explain  :  It  must  be  understood  that  John 
Shanks,  or  Stumps,  among  other  eccentricities, 
practised  sprawling  in  his  sleep,  spreading  himself 
abroad  in  inconceivable  attitudes,  shooting  out  an 
arm  here,  or  a  leg  there,  to  the  alarm  or  indignation 
of  bedfellows,  insomuch  that,  when  known,  bed- 
fellows refused  to  remain  with  him. 

Aware  of  Stumps's  propensity,  Slagg  had  so 
arranged  that  his  friend  should  lie  at  the  stern  uf 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOlLEll.  171 

the  raft  with  two  strands  of  the  binding-cable 
between  him  and  Eobiu,  who  lay  next  to  him. 
During  the  first  part  of  the  night,  Stumps,  either 
overcome  by  weariness  or  subdued  by  his  friends' 
discourses  on  the  stellar  world,  behaved  pretty  well. 
Only  once  did  he  fling  out  and  bestow  an  unmerited 
blow  on  the  pork-barrel.  But,  about  daybreak,  he 
began  to  sprawl,  gradually  working  his  way  to  the 
extreme  edge  of  the  raft,  where  a  piece  of  wood, 
nailed  there  on  purpose,  prevented  him  from  rolling 
off  altogether.  It  did  not,  however,  prevent  his 
tossing  one  of  his  long  legs  over  the  edge,  which  he 
accordingly  did.  The  leg  and  foot  were  naked. 
He  preferred  to  sleep  so,  even  when  bedless,  having 
been  brought  up  in  shoe-and-stockingless  society. 
With  his  foot  dipping  lightly  in  the  wave,  he  pro- 
longed his  repose. 

They  were  slipping  quietly  along  at  the  time 
under  the  influence  of  a  steady  though  gentle  breeze, 
which  had  sprung  up  and  filled  their  sail  soon  after 
they  lay  down  to  rest.  An  early  shark,  intent  on 
picking  up  sea-worms,  observed  Stumps's  foot,  and 
licked  his  lips,  no  doubt.  He  sank  immediately  for 
much  the  same  reason  that  little  boys  retire  to  take 
a  race  before  a  leap.  Turning  on  his  back,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  he  went  at  the  foot  like  a  submarine 
thunderbolt. 

Now,  it  was  at  that  piecise  moment  that  Eobin 


172  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  DOILEE. 

Wright  snored,  as  aforesaid.  The  snore  awoke 
Stumps,  who  had  another  sprawl,  and  drew  up  his 
leg  gently — oh,  how  gently  compared  with  what  he 
would  have  done  had  he  known  what  you  know, 
reader !  Nevertheless,  the  action  was  in  time,  else 
would  he  have  had,  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  a  better 
title  than  heretofore  to  his  nickname.  As  it  was, 
the  nose  and  lips  of  the  slimy  monster  struck  the 
youth's  foot  and  slid  up  the  side  of  his  leg. 

Hideous  was  the  yell  with  which  Stumps  received 
the  salute.  Acrobatic  was  the  tumble  with  whicli 
he  rolled  over  his  comrades,  and  dire  was  the  alarm 
created  in  all  their  hearts  as  they  bounced  from 
under  the  respective  corners  of  their  covering,  and 
stood  up,  aghast ! 

"  You  twopenny  turnip,"  said  Slagg,  "  why  did 
you  screech  like — " 

He  stopped.  There  was  no  need  to  finish  the 
question,  for  the  fin  of  the  disappointed  shark, 
describing  angry  zig-zags  in  the  water  close  by, 
furnished  a  sufficient  answer. 

"  He  has  only  grazed  me,"  said  Stumps,  feeling 
his  leg  anxiously. 

"  Only  grazed  you !  rather  say  crazed  you," 
returned  Sam,  "  for  a  cry  like  that  could  only  come 
from  a  madman.  What  were  you  doing  ? — washing 
your  feet  in  the  sea  ?" 

*'  No,    not   exactly,"   replied   Stumps,   somewhat 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  173 

abashed,  "  but  one  of  my  legs  got  over  the  end  of  the 
raft  someliovv,  and  was  trailing  in  the  water." 

"  Hallo  !  I  say,  look  there,  Sam  !"  said  Eobin,  with 
sudden  animation,  pointing  to  the  horizon  straight 
ahead  of  them  ;  "  is  that  the  big  raft  or  a  ship  ?" 

"  Neither,  Robin,"  replied  Sam,  after  a  prolonged 
and  earnest  gaze  ;  "  it  must  be  an  island.  What  do 
you  think,  Slagg  ?" 

The  incident  of  the  shark  was  almost  totally  for- 
gotten in  the  excitement  caused  by  this  new  dis- 
covery. For  some  time  Slagg  and  all  the  others 
gazed  intently  without  uttering  a  word.  Then  Slagg 
looked  round  with  a  deep  sigh. 

"  Yes,  it's  a  island,"  he  said ;  "no  doubt  about  that," 

"  What  a  blessing  !"  exclaimed  Eobin,  with  heart- 
felt emotion. 

"  Well,  that  depends,"  said  Sam,  with  a  shake  of 
the  head.  "  Islands  in  the  China  seas  are  not  always 
places  of  refuge — at  least  for  honest  people." 

"  By  no  means,"  added  Slagg  ;  "  I  've  heard  say  that 
the  pirates  there  are  about  the  wust  set  o'  cut- 
throats goin' — though  I  don't  myself  believe  there  's 
much  difference  atween  one  set  and  another." 

The  light  wind  which  had  carried  the  raft  slowly 
over  the  sea,  while  they  were  asleep,  now  freshened 
into  a  stiff  breeze,  and  tested  the  qualities  of  their 
craft  severely ;  but,  with  a  little  strengthening — an 
extra  turn  of  a  rope  or  an  additional  nail — here  and 


174  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

there,  it  held  pretty  well  together.  At  breakfast, 
which  was  served  according  to  regulation,  they 
discussed  their  situation. 

"  You  see,"  said  Sam,  "  this  may  turn  out  to  be  a 
small  barren  island,  in  which  case  we  shall  have  to 
leave  it  and  trust  to  falling  in  with  some  vessel ;  or 
it  may  be  inhabited  by  savages  or  pirates,  in  which 
case  we  shall  have  to  leave  it  from  prudential 
motives,  if  they  will  allow  us  to  do  so.  In  any  case, 
we  won't  begin  by  being  extravagant  with  the  pro- 
visions to-day." 

As  they  drew  near  to  the  island,  the  probability 
of  its  being  inhabited  became  greater,  because, 
although  solitary,  and,  according  to  Sam's  amateur 
calculations,  far  remote  from  other  lands,  it  presented 
a  bold  and  fertile  aspect.  It  was  not,  indeed,  large 
in  circumference,  but  it  rose  to  a  considerable  height, 
and  was  covered  with  rich  vegetation,  above  which 
waved  numerous  groups  of  the  cocoa-nut  palm.  A 
band  of  light  yellow  sand  fringed  the  shore,  on  which 
the  waves  rolled  in  a  still  lighter  fringe  of  foam, 
while  two  or  three  indentations  seemed  to  indicate 
the  existence  of  creeks  or  openings  into  the  interior. 

"With  eager  gaze  the  castaways  watched  this 
island  as  they  slowly  approached  it — the  minuter 
beauties  of  rock  and  dell  and  leafy  copse  brightening 
into  view  as  the  sun  mounted  the  clear  blue  sky. 

"  What  I  have  tliouglit  or  dreamed  of  sometimes, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  175 

when  dear  mother  used  to  speak  of  heaven," 
murmured  Eobin,  as  if  communing  with  himself. 

"  Well,  I  have  not  thought  much  of  heaven," 
said  Sam,  "but  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it's  some- 
thing like  the  paradise  from  which  Adam  and  Eve 
were  driven." 

"  There  's  no  sign  o'  natives  as  yet,"  said  Slagg, 
who,  regardless  of  these  remarks,  had  been  gazing 
at  the  island  with  eyes  shaded  by  his  hand. 

"  Yes  there  is ;  yonder  is  one  sitting  on  the 
rocks,"  said  Stumps  ;  "  don't  you  see  him  move  ?" 

"  That 's  not  a  native,"  returned  Slagg,  "  it 's  too 
long  in  the  back  for  a  human  being.  It 's  a  big 
monkey — a  gorilla,  maybe.  Did  you  ever  hear  tell 
of  gorillas  being  in  them  regions  ?" 

"  I  rather  think  not,"  said  Sam ;  "  and  to  my 
mind  it  looks  more  like  a  rock  than  anything  else." 

A  rock  it  proved  to  be,  to  the  discomfiture  of 
Slagg  and  Stumps  ;  but  the  rock  was  not  witliout 
interest,  for  it  was  soon  seen  that  a  rope  was 
attached  to  it,  and  that  the  rope  stretching  across 
the  entrance  to  a  creek  was  lost  in  the  foliage  on 
the  side  opposite  to  the  rock. 

"  Why,  I  do  believe,"  said  Sam,  suddenly,  in  an 
impressive  whisper,  "  that  there  is  a  vessel  of  some 
sort  at  the  other  end  of  that  rope,  behind  the  point, 
partly  hid  by  the  trees.  Don't  you  see  the  top  of 
^^er  masts?" 


176  THE  BATTERY  AND  TflE  BOILER. 

After  long  and  earnest  gazing,  and  much 
whispered  conversation — though  there  was  no 
occasion  for  caution  at  such  a  distance  from  the 
land — they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  vessel 
lay  concealed  just  within  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
towards  which  the  wind  was  driving  them,  and 
that,  as  they  apparently  had  not  been  discovered 
by  those  who  owned  the  vessel,  their  wisest  course 
would  be  to  land,  if  possible  without  attracting  at- 
tention, somewhat  farther  along  the  coast. 

"  But  how  is  that  to  be  done,"  asked  Eobin,  "  as 
we  have  neither  oar  nor  rudder  ?" 

"Nothing  easier,"  returned  Slagg,. seizing  the  axe 
and  wrenching  up  the  plank  that  had  prevented 
Stumps  from  finding  a  watery  grave,  "  I  've  on'y 
got  to  cut  a  handle  at  one  end,  an'  we  've  got  a  oar 
at  once." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  handy  youth  converted  the 
piece  of  plank  into  a  rude  oar,  with  which  he 
steered  the  raft,  so  that  it  gradually  drew  to  the 
southward  of  the  creek  where  the  strange  vessel 
lay,  and  finally  took  the  land  in  another  inlet  not 
far  distant. 

It  was  evident,  from  the  silence  around,  that  no 
one  was  stirring  in  the  vessel,  and  that  their  ap- 
proach had  not  been  perceived.  Congratulating 
themselves  on  this  piece  of  good  fortune,  they 
lowered  their  sail,  drew  the  raft  under  the  bushes. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  177 

which  in  some  parts  of  the  inlet  came  close  down 
to  the  sea,  and  then  hurried  stealthily  through 
a  palm -grove  towards  the  vessel.  They  reached 
the  margin  of  the  grove  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
there  discovered  that  the  stranger  was  apparently 
a  Chinese  craft,  but  whether  a  trading-vessel, 
or  smuggler,  or  pirate,  they  had  no  means  of 
knowing. 

As  they  lay  flat  on  their  faces  in  the  rank  grass, 
peeping  through  the  luxuriant  undergrowth,  they 
could  see  that  two  men  paced  the  deck  with 
musket  on  shoulder  as  if  on  guard,  but  no  other 
human  beings  were  visible. 

*•  Shall  we  go  forward  and  trust  them  as  honest 
traders  ?"  asked  Sam  in  a  whisper. 

"  I  think  not,"  replied  Slagg  ;  "  if  all 's  true  that 
one  hears,  there  is  not  much  honesty  afloat  in  them 
seas.  My  advice  is  to  stay  where  we  are  and  see 
what  turns  up." 

"What  think  you,  Eobin  ?" 

Eobin  was  of  opinion  that  they  should  trust  the 
strangers  and  go  forward.  Stumps  agreed  with  him, 
but  Sam  thought  with  Slagg.  Their  indecision,  how- 
ever, was  cut  short  by  a  most  startling  occurrence. 

While  they  were  yet  whispering  together,  the 
sound  of  voices  was  heard  in  the  distance.  Our 
castaways  at  once  sank  flatter  into  the  grass,  and 
became  mute. 

M 


178  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  voices  drew  gradually 
nearer,  until  they  were  quite  close  to  the  alarmed 
watchers.  Suddenly,  from  among  the  bushes  on  the 
other  side  of  an  open  space  just  in  front  of  them, 
there  issued  a  band  of  men,  walking  in  single  file. 
Their  appearance  might  have  aroused  grave  anxiety 
in  the  most  unsuspecting  breast,  for,  besides  pos- 
sessing faces  in  which  the  effects  of  dissipation  and 
evil  passions  were  plainly  stamped,  they  were  armed 
— as  the  saying  is — to  the  teeth,  with  short  swords, 
cavalry  pistols,  and  carbines.  They  were  dressed 
in  varied  Eastern  costume,  and  appeared  to  be  of 
Malay  origin,  though  some  bore  closer  resemblance 
to  the  Chinese. 

The  man  who  marched  in  advance — evidently 
the  leader  of  the  band — was  unusually  tall  and 
powerful,  with  a  remarkably  stern,  but  not  alto- 
gether forbidding,  countenance. 

"  Pirates  ! "  whispered  Slagg. 

"Looks  like  them,  but  may  be  smugglers," 
replied  Sam  in  the  same  cautious  tone. 

Even  Ptobin's  unsuspecting  and  inexperienced 
nature  would  not  permit  himi  to  believe  that  they 
were  honest  traders.  Had  any  doubts  on  the  sub- 
ject lingered  in  their  minds,  these  would  have 
been  effectually  cleared  away  by  the  scenes  which 
immediately  followed. 

While  the  pirates  were  still  at  some  distauf^'-' 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  179 

from  the  shore,  sudden  shouts  and  yells  came  from 
the  vessel,  which  had,  up  to  that  time,  been  lying 
so  peacefully  at  anchor,  and  it  was  at  once  clear 
that  a  furious  hand-to-hand  fight  was  taking  place 
upon  her  deck. 

"  It  must  be  the  poor  slaves  who  have  risen," 
whispered  Sam. 

The  pirates  had  drawn  their  swords  and  pistols 
at  the  first  sound  of  the  fight,  and  rushed  to  the 
rescue.  They  well  knew  that,  while  they  had  been 
on  shore,  the  unfortunate  captives  chained  in  the 
vessel's  hold  had  succeeded  in  freeing  themselves, 
and  were  endeavouring  to  overcome  the  few  men 
left  to  guard  them. 

Slaves  captured  at  various  times  by  the  scoun- 
drels who  infest  those  seas,  are  sometimes  made  to 
work  at  the  oars — whicli  are  much  used  during 
calm  weather — until  they  die,  or  become  so  M^orn 
out  as  to  be  useless,  when  they  are  mercilessly 
thrown  overboard.  That  the  slaves  referred  to  on 
this  occasion,  animated  probably  by  despair,  had 
effected  their  release,  and  plucked  up  heart  to 
assault  the  armed  guard,  was  a  matter  of  some 
surprise  to  the  pirates  :  not  so,  however,  to  our  ad- 
venturers, when  they  saw,  foremost  among  the  muti- 
neers, a  man  clad  in  the  garb  of  a  European  sailor. 

"  That 's  the  boy  as  has  put  'em  up  to  it,"  said 
Jim     Slagg,    in    a    suppressed    but    eager    voice,. 


180  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  they  'd  never  have  had  the  pluck  to  do  it  of 
themselves." 

"We'd  better  go  an'  help  'em,"  said  Stumps, 
whose  usually  stupid  face  was  lighted  up  with 
excitement. 

"  Right,  lad,"  exclaimed  Slagg,  starting  up ;  but 
Sam  laid  his  hand  firmly  on  his  arm. 

"Too  late,"  he  said;  "don't  you  see  that  the 
guard  have  prevailed.  Besides,  the  pirate  crew 
are  in  their  boats — almost  at  the  vessel.  See,  they 
swarm  up  the  side." 

"  Poor,  poor  sailor  !"  said  Eobiu  Wright,  in  a 
voice  of  the  deepest  pity. 

"  You  may  well  say  that ;  no  doubt  he  is  killed 
by  this  time,"  said  Slagg ;  "  but  no— he  is  fightin' 
still !" 

This  was  indeed  true.  Some  of  the  slaves, 
rendered  desperate  no  doubt,  were  still  maintaining 
a  hopeless  fight  with  handspikes  and  such  arms  as 
they  had  succeeded  in  wresting  from  the  guard  at  the 
first  onset,  and  the  stalwart  figure  of  the  European 
sailor  was  seen  swaying  aloft  a  clubbed  musket 
and  felling  a  pirate  at  eveiy  blow.  Animated  by 
his  example,  the  other  slaves  fought  with  resolute 
bravery,  but  when  the  rest  of  the  pirate  crew  joined 
the  guard  and  surrounded  them,  they  were  instantly 
overpowered.  Then  those  who  had  not  been 
already  slain  were  led  hastily  to  the  side,  a  sword 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  181 

was  drawn  across  their  throats,  or  thrust  through 
them,  and  the  bodies  were  tossed  into  the  sea. 
Amonff  those  led  thus  to  the  side  was  the  brave 

O 

sailor.  Although  his  features  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished at  such  a  distance  by  those  in  ambush, 
it  could  be  clearly  seen  that  he  came  boldly  forward, 
resolved,  no  doubt,  to  meet  his  fate  like  a  man. 

"Oh,  God,  spare  him  !"  burst  in  a  voice  of  agony 
from  Eobin,  who  sprang  up  as  if  with  the  intention 
of  rushing  to  the  rescue,  regardless  of  consequences, 
but  a  second  time  Sam  Shipton's  restraining  hand 
was  ready. 

"  What  could  we  do,  with  the  sea  between  us  and 
the  ship  ?  Even  if  we  were  on  the  deck  could  we 
four  deliver  him  from  a  hundred  ? " 

Eobin  sank  down  again  with  a  groan,  but  his 
fascinated  eyes  still  gazed  at  the  pirate  vessel.  To 
his  great  surprise,  the  sailor  at  that  moment  uttered 
a  long  and  ringing  cheer  !  The  act  seemed  to  over- 
awe even  the  bloodstained  pirates,  for  they  hesitated 
an  instant.  Then  one  of  them  pointed  his  sword  at 
the  sailor's  back,  but  at  the  same  moment  the  leader 
of  the  band  was  seen  to  strike  up  the  sword  and 
give  some  hurried  directions.  A  rope  was  in- 
stantly brought,  with  which  the  arms  and  legs 
of  the  seaman  were  secured,  and  he  was  carried 
below. 

"  Our   prayer    has    been    answered  !"    exclaimed 


182  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Eobin  with  renewed  excitement;  "  they  are  going  to 
spare  him." 

Sam  shook  his  head.  "  I  fear  not,  Eobin  ;  at 
least,  if  I  may  judge  from  what  I  have  read  of  these 
villains,  they  have  only  spared  him  for  a  time  for 
the  purpose  of  torturing  him." 

Eobin  shuddered.  "Well,  I  don't  know,"  he 
said,  "  whatever  they  may  do  God  has  answered  our 
prayer,  for  they  have  spared  him ;  and  if  God  could 
deliver  him  thus  at  the  last  moment,  surely  He  can 
deliver  him  altogether.  But  was  it  not  remarkable 
that  he  should  give  such  a  cheer  when — as  he  must 
have  thought — at  the  point  of  death,  for  it  sounded 
more  like  a  cheer  of  triumph  than  defiance  ?" 

"It  was  strange  indeed.  The  effect  of  strong 
excitement,  I  fancy." 

While  they  were  conversing,  the  pirates  were 
busily  engaged  in  getting  up  the  anchor  and  hoist- 
ing the  sails  of  their  craft.  At  the  same  time  the 
long  oars  or  sweeps  were  manned  by  such  of  the 
slaves  as  remained  alive,  and  the  vessel  slowly  glided 
out  of  the  creek,  and  put  to  sea.  Fortunately  the 
fight  had  engrossed  the  attention  of  those  on  board 
so  much  that  they  had  failed  to  observe  the  little 
raft,  which,  although  partially  concealed  by  bushes, 
might  not  otherwise  have  escaped  detection. 

Our  voyagers  were  still  congratulating  themselves 
on  their  good   fortune  in  this   respect,  when  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER,  183 

pirate  ship  was  observed  to  change  her  course,  turn 
completely  round  and  return  towards  the  land ! 

"They've  seen  us!"  ejaculated  Eobin  in  con- 
sternation. 

"  Our  doom  is  fixed,"  said  Sam  in  a  tone  of  bitter 
despair. 

Slagg  and  his  friend  were  so  much  overwhelmed 
that  they  could  not  speak. 

On  came  the  vessel — under  oars — straight  for  the 
creek  where  the  raft  lay.  There  could  be  no  doubt 
now  that  they  had  been  seen. 

While  they  gazed  in  blank  dismay,  utterly  unable 
to  decide  on  any  course  of  action,  an  event  occurrcid 
which  totally  altered  the  aspect  of  affairs.  Suddenly, 
as  if  by  magic,  the  pirate  ship  was  converted  into  a 
great  black-and-white  cloud,  from  out  of  which  there 
shot  an  indescribable  mass '  of  broken  spars  and 
wreckage  which  fell  in  all  directions  in  a  heavy 
shower  into  the  sea.  Two  seconds  later  and  there 
came  a  roar  as  if  a  crash  of  the  loudest  thunder  had 
rent  the  sky.  The  powder-magazine  had  been  fired, 
and  the  pirate  ship  had  been  blown  literally  to 
atoms ! 

When  the  last  of  the  terrible  shower  had  fallen, 
nothing  whatever  of  the  vessel  was  to  be  seen 
save  the  floating  morsels  of  the  wreck.  It  was, 
we  might  say,  a  tremendous  instance  of  ahiiost 
absolute  annihilation. 


184  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Eecovering  from  the  shock  of  horror  and  surprise, 
Sam  Shipton  ran  swiftly  down  to  the  spot  where 
the  raft  lay,  followed  by  his  companions, 

"  There  may  be  some  left  alive  ! "  he  cried, 
"Quick — shove  her  off.  Yonder 's  a  pole,  Eobin, 
fetch  it," 

Another  minute  and  they  were  afloat.  Pushing 
with  the  pole,  sculling  with  the  rude  oar,  and 
paddling  with  a  plank  torn  off,  they  made  for  the 
scene  of  the  explosion, 

"  I  see  something  moving,"  said  .Stutnps,  who, 
having  no  implement  to  worlc  with,  stood  up  in 
front  and  directed  their  course. 

Soon  they  were  in  the  midst  of  the  dSbris.  It 
was  an  awful  sight,  for  there,  mingled  with  riven 
spars  and  planks  and  cabin  furniture,  and  entangled 
in  ravelled  cordage,  lay  the  torn  lifeless  remains  of 
the  pirates.  Sharks  were  already  swimming  about 
in  anticipation  of  a  feast. 

"  Did  you  not  see  symptoms  of  life  somewhere  ?" 
asked  Sam,  as  he  stood  beside  Stumps,  and  looked 
earnestly  round. 

"  Yes,  I  did,  but  T  don't  now — 0  yes  !  tliere 
it  is  again.      Give  way,  Slagg,  give  way.      There  ! " 

The  raft  was  soon  alongside  of  the  moving  ob- 
ject. It  was  the  body  of  the  gallant  sailor  who 
had  fought  so  well  that  day.  His  limbs  were  still 
fast  bound,  excepting  one  arm,  with  which  now  and 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  185 

then  he  struck  out  feebly,  as  if  trying  to  swim. 
Lying  on  his  back  his  mouth  and  nose  were  above 
water. 

"  Gently,  gently,  boys,"  said  Eobin,  as  they  lifted 
the  head  out  of  the  water  and  slowly  drew  the 
shoulders  up ;  "  now,  a  good  heave  and — that 's  it." 

The  body  slid  heavily  on  the  raft,  and  the  motion 
seemed  to  rouse  the  seaman's  spirit,  for  he  uttered 
a  faint  cheer,  while  they  knelt  round  him,  and 
tried  in  various  ways  to  restore  him  to  conscious- 
ness. 

"  Hurrali  for  old  England  ! "  he  cried  presently, 
in  an  imbecile  manner,  making  an  abortive  effort 
to  lift  his  loose  arm ;  "  never  say  die — s'  long  's 
there 's — a  shok  in  th'  letter." 

"  Well  done,  old  saltwater  ! "  cried  Slagg,  unable 
to  restrain  a  laugh  ;  "  you  '11  live  to  fight  yet,  or  I  'm 
mistaken." 

There  was  indeed  some  prospect  that  the  poor 
fellow  would  recover,  for,  after  a  short  time,  he  was 
able  to  gaze  at  his  rescuers  with  an  intensity  of 
surprise  that  betokened  the  return  not  only  of 
consciousness  but  of  reason, 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  after  gazing  around  for 
some  time  in  silence  as  he  lay  with  his  head  sup- 
ported on  the  sail,  "  I  s'pose  it 's  all  right,  aiid 
I  '11  wake  up  all  square  in  the  mornin',  but  it 's  out 
o'  siiiht  the  most  comical  dream  T  've  had  since  I 


186  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

was  a  babby.  I  only  hope  it  'U  take  a  pleasanter 
turn  if  it 's  agoin'  to  continue." 

With  this  philosophical  reflection  the  sailor  shut 
his  ejes,  and  disposed  himself  to  sleep  until  the 
period  of  real  waking  should  arrive. 

Thinking  this  the  best  thing  he  could  do  in  the 
circumstances,  his  rescuers  turned  to  examine 
whether  any  of  the  others  had  survived  the  explo- 
sion, but,  finding  that  all  were  dead  or  had  sunk, 
they  returned  to  the  land. 

Here,  after  securing  the  raft,  they  made  a  sort  of 
litter,  with  the  sail  spread  on  the  oar  and  a  plank, 
on  which  they  carried  the  sailor  to  the  sheltered 
spot  whence  they  had  witnessed  the  fight.  As  the 
poor  man  had  by  that  time  fallen  into  a  genuine 
slumber — which  appeared  to  be  dreamless — he  was 
left  under  the  care  of  Stumps  and  Slagg,  while  Sam 
and  Eobin  went  off  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  the 
island  was  inhabited, 

"  We  will  go  straight  up  to  the  highest  point  at 
once,  so  as  to  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  it,"  said 
Sam.  "  I  can't  help  thinking  that  it  must  be  in- 
habited, for  these  scoundrels  would  not  care  to  land, 
I  should  fancy,  unless  there  was  some  one  to  rob," 

"  It  may  be  so,  Sam,  But  if  they  had  come  to 
rob,  don't  you  think  they  would  uot  have  returned 
to  their  ship  without  captives  or  booty  ?" 

"There  is  something  in  that,  Robin.  Come; 
we  shall  see." 


THE  BATTKRY  AND  THE  BOILER.  187 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

STRANGE    DISCOVERIES    ON   PIRATE   ISLAND. 

On  reaching  the  first  rising-ground  that  lay  be- 
fore them,  Eobin  and  his  friend  received  a  great 
disappointment,  for,  instead  of  a  richly  wooded 
country,  which  the  coast  scenery  where  they  landed 
had  led  them  to  expect,  they  found  an  exceedingly 
barren  region,  as  far,  at  least,  as  the  next  ridge  in 
advance. 

"  No  use  to  go  further,"  said  Sam,  despondingly ; 
"  nothing  but  barren  rocks  and  a  few  scrubby  bushes 
here.  Evidently  there  are  no  inhabitants,  for  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  live  on  such  a 
place." 

"  But  it  may  be  better  further  inland,"  said  Eobin. 
"  I  can't  think  that  the  pirates  would  come  here  for 
nothing.     At  all  events  let  us  go  to  the  next  ridge." 

Without  replying,  Sam  followed  Eobin,  but  the 
next  ridge  revealed  nothing  more  hopeful.  Indeed 
the  prospect  thence  was,  if  possible,  more  depress- 
ing, for  it  was  seen  that  the  island  was  small,  that 


188  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

its  sides  were  so  steep  all  round,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  that  there  was  apparently  no  landing- 
place  except  at  the  spot  where  they  had  been 
driven  on  shore.  The  elevated  interior  seemed  as 
barren  as  the  circumference,  and  no  neighbouring 
island  was  to  be  seen  in  all  the  wide  field  of  vision. 
The  only  living  creatures  visible  were  innumerable 
sea-birds  which  circled  round  the  cliffs,  and  which, 
on  espying  the  intruders,  came  clamouring  over- 
head, as  if  to  order  them  angrily  away. 

"  Having  come  thus  far  M^e  may  as  well  go  to  the 
top  and  have  a  look  all  round,"  said  Eobin,  "  and  see 
— here  is  something  like  a  track  worn  on  the  rock." 

Sam's  drooping  spirits  revived  at  once.  He  ex- 
amined the  track  carefully  and  pronounced  it  a 
"  human  "  track.  "  The  sea-gulls  could  not  make 
it,  Eobin.  Goats,  sheep,  and  cows  cannot  live 
without  grass,  therefore  it  was  not  made  by  them. 
A  track  is  not  usually  worn  on  hard  rock  by  the 
passage  of  pirates  only  once  or  twice  over  them. 
There  is  mystery  here,  Eobin.      Come  on  !" 

It  will  be  observed  that  Eobin's  spirit  was  more 
hopeful  than  that  of  his  friend,  nevertheless  Sam 
being  physically  more  energetic,  was,  when  not 
depressed,  prone  to  take  the  lead.  He  walked 
smartly  forward  therefore,  followed  humbly  by  liis 
friend,  and  they  soon  reached  what  proved  to  be  the 
summit  of  the  island. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  189 

Here  supreme  astonishment  was  the  chief  in- 
gredient in  their  feelings,  for  they  stood  on  the  edge 
of  a  slope,  at  the  foot  of  which,  as  in  a  basin,  lay 
what  seemed  to  be  a  small  cultivated  garden  in  the 
midst  of  a  miniature  valley  covered  with  trees  and 
shrubs,  through  which  a  tiny  rivulet  ran.  This 
verdant  little  gem  was  so  hemmed  in  by  hills 
that  it  could  not  be  seen  from  the  sea  or  any  low 
part  of  the  island.  But  what  surprised  the  dis- 
coverers most  was  the  sight  of  an  old  woman,  bent 
nearly  double,  who  was  busily  at  work  in  the  garden. 
Not  far  from  her  was  an  old  man,  who,  from  his 
motions  while  at  work,  appeared  to  be  blind.  Their 
costume  being  nondescript,  besides  ragged,  did  not 
betoken  their  nationality. 

Sam  and  Eobin  glanced  at  each  other  in  silence, 
then  turned  to  have  another  gaze  at  the  scene. 

"  We  've  found,"  said  Sam,  slowly  and  impres- 
sively, "  a  robber's  nest !" 

"  D'  you  think  so,  Sam  ?" 

"  Think  so  !  1  'm  sure  of  it.  Just  think.  There 
is  nothing  on  such  an  island  as  this  to  attract  any 
one  at  all — much  less  robbers  or  pirates — except 
the  fact  that  it  is  unattractive,  and,  apparently,  fai 
removed  from  the  haunts  of  honest  men.  Depend 
upon  it,  Eobin,  that  the  pirates  whom  we  saw  have 
made  this  their  head-quarters  and  place  of  deposit 
for  their  l^ooty — their  bank  as  it  were,  for  it's  too 


190  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

small  for  their  home ;  besides,  if  it  were  such,  we 
should  see  a  colony  of  women  and  children.  No — 
this  is  the  great  Pirate  Bank  of  the  Southern  Seas, 
and  yonder  we  behold  the  secretary  and  cashier !" 

"  And  what,"  said  Eobin  with  a  laugh,  "  if  there 
should  be  a  few  clerks  in  the  bank  ?  We  might 
perhaps  find  them  troublesome  fellows  to  deal  with." 

"  We  might,  Eobin.  Would  it  not  be  wise  to 
return  and  let  Slagg  and  Stumps  know  what  we 
have  discovered,  and  take  counsel  together  before 
we  act." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Eobin.  "  Isn't  it  strange  though," 
he  added,  as  they  turned  to  retrace  their  steps, 
"  that  there  are  no  buildings  of  any  kind — only  a 
little  garden." 

"It  is  somewhat  puzzling,  I  confess,  but  we 
shall—" 

He  stopped  abruptly,  and  stood  rooted  to  the 
ground,  for  there,  on  a  rock  in  front  of  him,  with 
her  light,  graceful  figure,  and  flowing  golden  hair, 
pictured  against  the  blue  sky,  stood  a  little  girl, 
apparently  about  six  or  seven  years  of  age — an 
angel  as  it  seemed  to  the  amazed  youths  ! 

She  had  caught  sight  of  the  strangers  at  the  very 
moment  they  had  observed  her,  and  stood  gazing  at 
them  with  a  half  eager,  half  terrified  look  in  her 
large  lustrous  eyes. 

With  a   sudden   and   irresistible   impulse  Eobin 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  191 

extended  his  arms  towards  her.  She  made  a  little 
run  towards  him,  then  stopped,  and  the  look  of 
fear  again  came  over  her  beautiful  face.  Robin  was 
afraid  to  advance  lest  he  should  frighten  her.  So, 
with  an  earnest  look  and  smile,  he  said,  "  Come  here, 
little  one." 

She  answered  the  invitation  by  bounding  towards 
our  hero  and  clasping  him  round  the  neck,  causing 
him  to  sit  down  rather  abruptly  on  a  rock  which 
lay  conveniently  behind. 

"Oh!  I'm  so  glad  you've  come  at  last!"  said 
the  child,  in  English  so  good  that  there  could  be  no 
question  as  to  her  nationality.  "I  was  quite  sure 
mamma  would  send  to  fetch  me  away  from  this 
tiresome  place,  but  you  've  been  so  long  of  coming 
— so  very  very  long." 

The  thought  of  this,  and  perhaps  the  joy  of  being 
"sent  for"  at  last,  caused  her  to  sob  and  bury  her 
face  in  Eobin's  sympathetic  bosom. 

"  Cheer  up,  little  one,  and  don't  cry,"  said  Eobin, 
passing  his  hand  over  her  sunny  hair,  "  your  Father, 
at  all  events,  has  sent  for  you,  if  not  your  mother." 

*'  I  have  no  father,"  said  the  child,  looking  up 
quickly. 

"Yes  you  have,  little  one;  God  is  your  father." 

"Did  He  send  you  to  fetch  me?"  she  asked  in 
surprise. 

"  1  have  not  the  smallest  doubt,"  answered  Eobin, 


192  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  that  He  sent  us  to  take  care  of  you,  and  take  you 
to  your  mother  if  that  be  possible.  But  tell  me, 
little  cue,  what  is  your  name  ?" 

"  Letta." 

"  And  your  surname  ? " 

"My  what!"  exclaimed  Letta,  opening  her  large 
eyes  to  their  widest,  causing  both  Sam  and  Eobin 
to  laugh. 

"  Your  other  name,  dear,"  said  Sam. 

"  I  have  no  other  name.  Mamma  always  called 
me  Letta — nothing  else." 

"And  what  was  mamma's  name  ?"  asked  Robin. 

"  It  was  mamma,  of  course,"  replied  Letta,  with  a 
look  of  wonder  that  so  silly  a  question  should  be  asked. 

Sam  and  Robin  exchanged  looks,  and  the  formel 
shook  his  head.  "  You  '11  not  get  much  information 
out  of  her  I  fear.  Ask  her  about  the  pirates,"  Se 
whispered. 

"Letta,"  said  Eobin,  settling  the  child  more  com- 
fortably on  his  knee — an  attention  which  she  re- 
ceived with  a  sigh  of  deep  contentment, — "  are  the 
people  here  kind  to  you?" 

"  Yes,  very  kind.  Old  Meerta  is  as  kind  to  me 
almost  as  mamma  used  to  be,  but  I  don't  love  her 
so  much — not  nearly  so  much, — and  blind  Bungo  is 
a  dear  old  man." 

"That's  nice.  And  the  others — are  they  kind  to 
vou?" 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  193 

"  What  others  ?  Oh,  I  suppose  you  mean  the 
men  who  come  and  stay  for  a  time,  and  then  go 
off'  again.  0  no !  They  are  not  kind.  They 
are  bad  men — very  naughty ;  they  often  fight,  and 
I  think  call  each  other  bad  names,  but  I  don't 
understand  their  language  very  well.  They  never 
hurt  me,  but  they  are  very  rough,  and  I  don't  like 
them  at  all.  They  all  went  away  this  morning. 
I  was  so  glad,  for  they  won't  be  back  again  for  a 
good  long  while,  and  Meerta  and  Bungo  won't  get 
any  more  hard  knocks  and  whippings  till  they 
come  back." 

"  Ha !  they  won't  come  back  in  a  hurry — not 
these  ones  at  least,"  said  Sam  in  a  voice  that 
frightened  Letta,  inducing  her  to  cling  closer  to 
Eobin. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  little  one,"  said  the  latter,  "  he 's 
only  angry  with  the  bad  men  that  went  away  this 
morning.  Are  there  any  of  them  still  remaining 
here?" 

"  What,  in  the  caves  ?" 

"Ay,  in  the  caves — or  anj'- where ?" 

"  No  they  're  all  away.  Nobody  left  but  me  and 
Meerta  and  blind  Bungo." 

"  Is  it  a  long  time  since  you  came  here  ?" 

"0  yes,  very  very  long!"  replied  the  child, 
with  a  sad  weary  look  ;  "so  long  that — that  you 
can't  think." 

N 


194  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

"  Come,  dear ;  tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Eobin  in 
a  coaxing  tone, — "  all  about  mamma  and  how  you 
came  here." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Letta,  quite  pleased  with  the 
request.  Clearing  lier  little  throat  with  the  em- 
phasis of  one  who  has  a  long  story  to  tell,  she  began 
with  the  statement  that  "mamma  was  a  darling." 

From  this,  as  a  starting-point,  she  gave  an 
amazing  and  rambling  account  of  the  joys  and  toys 
of  infancy,  which  period  of  life  seemed  to  have  been 
spent  in  a  most  beautiful  garden  full  of  delicious 
fruits  and  sunshine,  where  the  presiding  and  ever 
present  angel  was  mamma.  Then  she  told  of  a 
dark  night,  and  a  sudden  awaking  in  the  midst  of 
flames  and  smoke  and  piercing  cries,  when  fierce  men 
seized  her  and  carried  her  away,  put  her  into  a  ship, 
where  she  was  dreadfully  sick  for  a  long  long  time, 
until  they  landed  on  a  rocky  island,  and  suddenly 
she  found  herself  "  there" — pointing  as  she  spoke  to 
the  little  garden  below  them.  While  she  was  yet 
describing  her  feelings  on  arrival,  a  voice  shouting 
Letta  was  heard,  and  she  instantly  struggled  from 
Robin's  knee. 

"  0  let  me  go !"  she  cried.  "  It 's  Meerta  calling 
me,  and  I  never  let  her  call  twice." 

"  Why  ?     Would  she  be  angry  ?" 

"  No,  but  she  would  be  sorry.      Do  let  me  go  !" 

"But  won't  you  let  us  go  too  ?"  asked  Sam, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  195 

"  0  yes,  if  you  want  to  come.  This  is  the 
road/'  she  added,  as  she  took  Eobin  by  the  hand  ; 
"and  you  must  be  very  careful  how  you  go,  else 
you  '11  fall  and  hurt  yourselves." 

Great  was  the  amazement,  and  not  slight  the 
alarm  of  Meerta,  when  she  beheld  her  little 
charge  thus  piloting  two  strangers  down  the  hill. 
She  spoke  hurriedly  to  her  blind  companion,  and  at 
first  seemed  disposed  to  hide  herself,  but  the  man 
evidently  dissuaded  her  from  such  a  course,  and 
when  Letta  ran  forward,  seized  her  hard  old  hands 
and  said  that  God  had  sent  people  to  take  her  back 
to  mamma,  she  dismissed  her  fears  and  took  to 
laughing  immoderately. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  our  adventurers  that 
the  woman  was  in  her  dotage,  while  the  old  man 
was  so  frail  that  only  a  fev/  of  the  sands  of  life 
remained  to  ran.  They  both  understood  a  little 
English,  but  spoke  in  such  a  remarkably  broken 
manner,  that  there  was  little  prospect  of  much 
additional  information  being  obtained  from  them. 

"  You  hungry — hungry  ?"  asked  the  old  woman, 
with  a  sudden  gleam  of  hospitality.  "  Com — com — 
me  gif  you  for  heat." 

She  took  Eobin  by  the  hand  and  led  him  towards 
a  cavern,  the  mouth  of  which  had  not  been  visible 
higher  up  the  mountain.    Sam  followed,  led  by  Letta. 

The  interior  of  the   cavern  was  lofty  and  the 


196  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

floor  level.  Besides  this,  it  was  sumptuously 
furnished  in  a  fashion  singularly  out  of  keeping 
with  the  spot  and  its  surroundings.  Pictures  hung 
on  the  walls,  Persian  rugs  lay  on  the  floors.  Otto- 
mans, covered  with  silk  and  velvet,  were  strewn 
about  here  and  there,  among  easy-chairs  of  various 
kinds,  some  formed  of  wickerwork — in  the  fantastic 
shapes  peculiar  to  the  East — others  of  wood  and 
cane,  having  the  ungainly  and  unreasonable  shapes 
esteemed  by  Western  taste.  Silver  lamps  and  drink- 
ing-cups  and  plates  of  tlie  finest  porcelain  were 
also  scattered  about,  for  there  was  no  order  in  the 
cavern,  either  as  to  its  arrangement  or  the  character 
of  its  decoration.  In  the  centre  stood  several  large 
tables  of  polished  wood,  on  which  were  the  remains 
of  what  must  have  been  a  substantial  feast — the 
dishes  being  as  varied  as  the  furniture — from  the 
rice  and  egg  messes  of  Eastern  origin,  to  the  pre- 
served sardines  of  the  West. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  "  laughed  the  weird  old  creature  who 
ushered  the  tistonished  youths  into  this  strange 
banqueting  hall,  "  the  rubberts — rubbers — you 
calls  dem  ?" 

"  Eobbers,  she  means  ;  that 's  the  naughty  men," 
explained  Letta,  who  seemed  to  enjoy  the  old 
woman's  blunders  in  the  English  tongue. 

"  Yis,    dats    so — roberts    an'    pyrits — ha  !    ha  ! 
dems   feed  here  dis  mornin'.     You  feed  dis  after- 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  197 

noons.  Me  keeps  house  for  dem.  Dey  tinks  me 
alone  wid  Bungo  an'  Letta,  ho  !  lio  !  but  me  's  got 
cumpiny  dis  day.  Sit  down  an'  grub  wat  yous  can. 
Doo  you  good.  Doo  Letta  and  Bungo  good.  Doos 
all  good.  Fire  away  !  Ha  !  ha — a  !  Keep  you's 
nose  out  o'  dat  pie,  Bungo,  you  brute.  Yous  git 
sik  eff  you  heat  more." 

Eegardless  of  this  admonition,  the  poor  old  man 
broke  oft  a  huge  mass  of  pie-crust,  which  he  began 
to  mouth  with  his  toothless  gums,  a  quiet  smile 
indicating  at  once  his  indifference  to  Meerta  and 
consequences,  while  he  mumbled  something  about 
its  not  being  every  day  he  got  so  good  a  chance. 

"Das  true,"  remarked  the  old  woman,  with 
another  hilarious  laugh.  "  Dey  go  hoff  awful  quick 
dis  day." 

While  Sam  and  Eobin  sat  down  to  enjoy  a  good 
dinner,  or  rather  breakfast,  of  which  they  stood 
much  in  need,  Letta  explained  in  a  disjointed 
rambling  fashion,  that  after  a  feed  of  this  kind  the 
naughty  men  usually  had  a  fight,  after  which  they 
took  a  long  sleep,  and  then  had  the  dishes  cleaned 
up  and  the  silver  things  locked  away  before  taking 
their  departure  from  the  cave  for  "  a  long,  long 
time,"  by  which,  no  doubt,  she  indicated  the  period 
spent  on  a  pilfering  expedition.  But  on  this  par- 
ticular occasion,  she  added,  while  the  naughty  men 
were  seated  at  the  feast,  one  of  their  number  from 


V 


198  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

their  ship  came  hastily  in  and  said  something,  she 
could  not  tell  what,  which  caused  them  at  once  to 
leap  up  and  rush  out  of  the  cave,  and  they  had  not 
come  back  since. 

"  And  they  're  not  likely  to  come  back,  little 
one,"  said  Kobin  through  a  mouthful  of  rice. 

"  Ha  !  ha — a  !"  laughed  Sam  through  a  mouthful 
of  pie-crust. 

"  Ho  !  ho  !"  cried  the  old  woman,  with  a  look  of 
surprise,  "  yous  bery  brav  boy,  I  dessay,  but  if  dem 
roberts  doos  kum  back,  you  soon  laugh  on  wrong  side 
ob  de  mout',  for  dey  screw  yous  limbses  off,  an'  ho  ! 
skrunch  yous  teeth  hout,  an'  roast  you  'live,  so  yous 
better  heat  w'at  yous  can  an'  go  hof — fast  as  you 
couldn't." 

"  I  say,  Eobin,"  said  Sam,  unable  to  restrain  a 
smile  at  the  expression  oi  Letta's  face,  as  she 
listened  to  this  catalogue  of  horrors,  "  that  speech 
might  have  taken  away  our  appetites  did  we  not 
know  that  the  '  roberts  '  are  all  dead." 

"Dead  1"  exclaimed  the  old  woman  with  a  start 
and  a  gleam  of  serious  intelligence,  such  as  had  not 
before  appeared  on  her  wrinkled  visage  ;  "  are  de 
roberts  all  dead  ?" 

"  All,"  replied  Sam,  who  thereupon  gave  the  old 
pair  a  full  account  of  what  had  been  witnessed  on 
the  shore. 

Strange   to  say,  the  old   man  and  woman  were 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  199 

mucli  depressed  by  the  news,  although,  from  what 
they  afterwards  related,  they  had  been  very  cruelly 
treated  by  the  pirates,  by  whom  they  had  been 
enslaved  for  many  years.  Nay,  old  Meerta  even 
dropped  a  tear  or  two  quietly  to  their  memory,  for, 
as  she  remarked,  by  way  of  explanation  or  excuse, 
"  dey  wasn't  all  so  bad  as  each  oder." 

However,  she  soon  recovered  her  composure,  and 
while  Sam  Shipton  returned  to  the  shore  to  fetch 
their  comrades  to  the  cave,  she  told  Eobin,  among 
other  things,  that  the  pirates  had  brought  Letta  to 
the  island  two  years  before,  along  with  a  large 
quantity  of  booty,  but  that  she  did  not  know  where 
she  came  from,  or  to  whom  she  belonged. 

Sam  Shipton  resolved  to  give  his  comrades  the 
full  benefit  of  the  surprise  in  store,  therefore,  on 
returning  to  them,  he  merely  said  that  he  had  left 
Eobin  in  a  rather  curious  place  in  the  interior, 
where  they  had  discovered  both  food  and  drink  in 
abundance,  and  that  he  had  come  to  conduct  them 
to  it. 

By  that  time  the  seaman  whom  they  had  rescued 
had  recovered  considerably,  and  was  able  to  walk 
with  assistance,  though  still  rather  confused  in  his 
mind  and  disposed  to  be  silent.  At  first  he  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  be  left  to  sleep  where  he  was,  but 
on  being  told  that  the  place  they  were  going  to  was 
not  far  off,  and  that  he  would  be  able  to  rest  longer 


200  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

and  much  more  comfortably  there  than  where  he 
was,  he  braced  himself  up  and  accompanied  them, 
leaning  on  Sam  and  Jim  Slagg  as  he  staggered  along. 

Need  it  be  said  that  both  Slagg  and  Stumps 
shouted  with  surprise  when  they  came  suddenly  in 
sight  of  the  garden;  that  they  lost  the  power  of 
utterance  on  beholding  Eobin  holding  familiar  con- 
verse with  an  old  hag,  a  blind  man,  and  a  small 
angel ;  and  that  they  all  but  fell  down  on  entering 
the  pirate's  cave  ? 

No,  it  need  not  be  said ;  let  us  pass,  therefore,  to 
the  next  scene  in  this  amazing  drama. 

Of  course  Eobin  had  prepared  the  inhabitants  of 
the  garden  for  the  arrival  of  his  friends.  He  had 
also  learned  that  the  pirates,  in  the  hurry  of  depar- 
ture, had  not  only  left  everything  lying  about,  but 
had  left  the  key  of  their  treasure-cave  in  the  lock. 
Old  Meerta  offered  to  show  him  the  contents,  but 
Eobin  determined  to  await  the  arrival  of  his  friends 
before  examining  the  place. 

When  Slagg  and  Stumps  had  breakfasted,  and  the 
sailor  had  been  laid  oxl  a  comfortable  couch,  where 
he  immediately  fell  fast  asleep,  Eobin  pulled  the 
key  of  the  treasure-cave  out  of  his  pocket  and  asked 
his  comrades  to  follow  him.  Wondering  at  the 
request,  they  did  so. 

The  cave  referred  to  lay  at  the  inner  extremity 
of  the  banqueting  cavern,  and  w^as  guarded  by  a 


THE  PIRATES'  CAVE.— rage  '201. 


THE  BATTEl'vY  AND  THE  BOILER.  201 

massive  door  of  wood.  Opening  this,  Eobin  allowed 
the  old  woman  to  enter  first  and  lead  the  way. 
She  did  so  with  one  of  her  wild  "  ho  !  ho's  !"  being 
obviously  much  excited  at  the  opportunity  of  show- 
ing to  the  visitors  the  contents  of  a  cavern  which 
she  had  never  before  been  permitted  to  enter  save 
in  the  company  of  the  pirates.  Entering  the  small 
doorway,  through  which  only  a  subdued  light  pene- 
trated, she  went  to  a  ledge  or  natural  shelf  of  rock 
and  took  down  a  silver  lamp  of  beautiful  work- 
manship, which  had  probably  belonged  to  a  church 
or  temple.  Lighting  it,  she  ushered  them  through 
a  natural  archway  into  an  inner  cavern,  round  the 
walls  of  which  were  heaped  in  piles  merchandise 
and  wealth  of  all  kinds  in  great  profusion  and 
variety.  There  were  bales  of  broadcloth  and  other 
fabrics  from  the  looms  of  Tuscany;  tweeds  from 
the  factories  of  Scotland ;  silks,  satins,  and  velvets 
in  great  rolls,  mingled  with  lace,  linen,  and  more 
delicate  fabrics.  Close  beside  these  piles,  but  not 
mixed  with  them,  were  boxes  of  cutlery  and  other 
hardware,  and,  further  on,  chests  of  drawers  con- 
taining spices  from  the  East,  chests  of  tea  and  coffee, 
barrels  of  sugar,  and  groceries  of  all  kinds. 

These  things  were  not  thrown  together  in  con- 
fusion, but  arranged  in  systematic  order,  as  if 
under  the  management  of  an  expert  store-keeper, 
and   a  desk   with  business-books  on  it  seemed  to 


202  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

indicate  that  a  careful  record  was  kept  of  tlie 
whole. 

Among  the  miscellaneous  merchandise  stood 
several  large  and  massive  chests  of  ancient  material 
and  antique  form.  Taking  a  bunch  of  small  keys 
from  a  nail  on  the  wall,  the  old  woman  proceeded 
to  open  these  and  exhibit  their  contents  with  much 
of  the  interest  and  simple  delight  exhibited  by  a 
chikl  in  displaying  her  treasures  to  new  companions. 

Handing  the  silver  lamp  to  Eobin,  who  with  his 
comrades  looked  on  in  silent  surprise,  she  opened 
the  first  chest.  It  was  loaded  to  the  lid  with 
jewellery  of  all  kinds,  which  sparkled  in  the  light 
with  dazzling  brilliancy,  for  even  to  the  inexperi- 
enced eyes  of  the  observers,  many  of  the  gems  were 
obviously  of  the  finest  quality,  and  almost  priceless 
in  value.  There  was  no  order  in  the  arrangement 
of  these — bracelets,  ear-rings,  watches,  etc.,  of  Euro- 
pean manufacture  lying  side  by  side  with  the  costly 
golden  wreaths  and  tiaras  of  India,  and  the  more 
massive  and  gorgeous  brooches,  nose-rings,  neck- 
rings,  and  anklets  peculiar  to  semi-barbaric  lands. 

The  next  chest  was  filled  with  gold,  silver,  and 
bronze  drinking-cups  and  goblets,  lamps,  vases,  and 
urns,  that  had  been  gathered  from  the  ships  of 
many  countries.  Then  there  were  chests  which 
contained  little  barrels  full  of  gold  and  silver  coin 
of  every  realm,  from  the  huge  golden  doubloon  of 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  203 

Spain  to  the  little  silver  groschen  of  Germany. 
Besides  all  this  varied  wealth,  there  were  piles  of 
arms  of  all  nations — richly  chased  scimitars  of 
Eastern  manufacture,  the  clumsy  cutlasses  of  Eng- 
land, long  silver-handled  pistols  of  Oriental  form, 
bluff  little  "  bull-dog "  revolvers,  cavalry  sabres, 
breech-loading  rifles,  flint-lock  muskets,  shields, 
spears,  bows  and  arrows — in  short,  a  miscellaneous 
armoury  much  too  extensive  to  be  described. 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  the  monkey-like 
countenance  of  old  Meerta  as  she  watched  the  effect 
produced  on  her  visitors,  her  little  black  eyes 
sparkling  in  the  lamplight  more  brightly  than  the 
finest  gems  there ;  and  not  less  interesting  was  it  to 
note  the  half-amused,  more  than  half-amazed,  and 
partially  imbecile  gaze  of  the  still  silent  visitors. 
Little  Letta  enjoyed  their  looks  quite  as  much  as 
Meerta. 

"  Haven't  we  got  lots  of  pretty  things  here  ?" 
she  said,  looking  up  into  Eobin's  face. 

"  Yes,  little  one, — wonderful !'' 

Eobin  revived  sufficiently  to  make  this  reply  and 
to  glance  at  Sam,  Slagg,  and  Stumps,  who  returned 
the  glance.     Then  he  relapsed. 

Snatching  the  lamp  from  his  hand,  old  Meerta 
now  led  the  party  to  a  remote  corner  of  the  cave, 
where  a  number  of  large  casks  were  ranged  at  one 
end,  and  covered  with  a  sheet  of  leather. 


204:  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Ha !  ha  !"  laughed  their  wild  guide,  in  a  sort 
of  screech,  "  here  be  de  grandest  jools,  de  finest 
dimunds  of  all,  what  buys  all  de  rest !" 

She  lifted  a  corner  of  the  skin,  removed  the  loose 
head  of  a  cask,  and  holding  the  lamp  close  over  the 
opening,  bade  them  look  in.  They  did  so,  and  the 
effect  was  powerful  as  well  as  instantaneous,  tor 
there,  only  a  few  inches  below  the  flaring  light,  lay 
an  open  barrel  of  gunpowder  ! 

The  senses  of  Sam  Shipton  returned  like  a  flash 
of  lightning — interest,  surprise,  admiration  vanished 
like  smoke,  as  he  uttered  a  shout,  and,  with  one  hand 
seizing  the  wrist  of  the  withered  arm  that  held  the 
lamp,  with  the  other  he  hastily  drew  the  leathern 
cover  over  the  exposed  powder  and  held  it  down, 

"  You  old  curmudgeon  ! "  he  cried  ;  "  here,  Eobiu, 
take  the  lamp  from  her,  and  away  with  it  into  the 
outer  cave." 

Our  hero  promptly  obeyed,  while  the  other  two, 
under  an  instinct  of  seK-preservation,  had  already 
fled  in  the  same  direction,  followed  by  a  shrill  and 
half-fiendish  laugh  from  the  old  woman. 

"  Well,  I  never  had  such  a  narrow  escape/'  said 
Sam,  as  he  issued  from  the  cave,  still  holding  Meerta 
firmly,  though  not  roughly,  by  the  wrist. 

"  Why,  there  's  enough  powder  there,  I  do  believe," 
said  Jim  Slagg,  "  to  split  the  whole  island  in 
two." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  EOILER.  205 

"  There,  it 's  all  safe  now,"  said  Sam,  as  he  locked 
the  heavy  door  and  thrust  the  key  in  his  pocket ; 
"  and  I  will  take  care  of  your  treasures  for  you  in 
future,  old  lady." 

"  Wass  you  frighted  ?"  asked  the  old  woman  with 
a  low  laugh,  in  which  even  Letta  joined. 

"  Frighted,  you  reckless  old  thing,"  replied  Sam, 
seizing  a  tankard  of  water  and  draining  it,  "of 
course  I  was ;  if  a  spark  had  gone  down  into  that 
cask,  you  would  have  been  considerably  frighted 
too." 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Stumps  ;  "  she 
wouldn't  have  had  time  to  get  a  fright." 

"0  no  ! "  said  Meerta  ;  "  I 's  niver  frighted. 
Many  time  me  stan'  by  dat  keg,  t'lnkin',  t'inkin', 
t'inkin  if  me  stuff  de  light  in  it,  and  blow  de  pyrits 
vid  all  dere  tings  to  'warsl  smash  ;  but  no — me 
tinks  dat  some  of  dem  wasn't  all  so  bad  as  each 
oder." 

This  thought  seemed  to  have  the  effect  of  quieting 
the  roused  spirit  of  the  poor  old  woman,  for  there- 
after a  softeneA  expression  overspread  her  wrinkled 
face  as  she  went  silently  about  clearing  away  the 
debris  of  the  recent  feast. 


206  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

TUE  pirate's  ishAVD— continued. 

Next  morniug  Sam  Shipton  awoke  from  a  sound 
and  dreamless  slumber.  Eaising  himself  on  the 
soft  ottoman,  or  Eastern  couch,  on  which  he  had 
spent  the  night,  he  looked  round  in  a  state  of 
sleepy  wonder,  unable  at  first  to  remember  where 
he  was.  Gradually  he  recalled  the  circumstances 
and  events  of  the  preceding  day. 

The  forms  of  his  companions  la,y  on  couches 
similar  to  his  own  in  attitudes  of  repose,  and  the 
seaman  still  slept  profoundly  in  the  position  in 
which  he  had  been  laid' down  when  brought  in. 

Through  the  mouth  of  the  caver ti  Sam  coald  see 
the  little  garden,  glowing  like  an  emerald  in  the 
beams  of  the  rising  sun,  and  amongst  the  bushes 
he  observed  the  old  couple  stooping  quietly  over 
their  labour  of  gathering  weeds.  The  warm  air,  the 
brio-ht  sunshine,  and  the  soft  cries  of  distant  sea- 
birds,  induced  Sam  to  slip  into  such  of  his  garments 
as  he  had  put  off,  and  go  out  quietly  without  rousing 
his  companions. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  207 

In  a  few  minutes  he  stood  on  tlie  summit  of 
the  islet  and  saw  the  wide  ocean  surrounding  him, 
like  a  vast  sparkling  plain,  its  myriad  wavelets 
reflecting  now  the  dazzling  sun,  now  the  azure 
vault,  the  coinn^ingling  yellow  and  blue  of  which 
resulted  in  a  lovely  transparent  green,  save  where 
a  few  puffs  of  wind  swept  over  the  great  expanse 
and  streaked  it  with  lines  of  darkest  blue. 

"Truly,"  murmured  Sam,  as  he  gazed  in  admira- 
tion at  the  glorious  expanse  of  sea  and  sky, "  Eobin 
is  right  when  he  says  that  we  are  not  half  suffi- 
ciently impressed  with  the  goodness  of  the  Almighty 
in  placing  us  in  the  midst  of  such  a  splendid  world, 
with  capacity  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  it  to  the  full. 
I  begin  to  fear  that  I  am  a  more  ungrateful  fellow 
than  I  've  been  used  to  think." 

For  some  time  he  continued  to  gaze  in  silence  as 
if  that  thought  were  working. 

From  his  elevated  position  he  could  now  see  that 
the  islet  was  not  quite  so  barren  as  at  first  he  had 
been  led  to  suppose.  Several  little  valleys  and  cup- 
like hollows  lay  nestling  among  the  otherwise  barren 
hills,  like  lovely  gems  in  a  rough  setting.  Those, 
he  now  perceived,  must  have  been  invisible  from 
the  sea,  and  the  rugged  almost  perpendicular  cliffs 
in  their  neighbourhood  had  apparently  prevented 
men  from  landing  and  discovering  their  existence. 
One  of  the  valleys,  in  particular,  was  not  only  larger 


208  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

than  the  others,  but  exceptionally  rich  in  vegetation, 
besides  having  a  miniature  lake,  like  a  diamond,  in 
its  bosom. 

Descending  the  hill  and  returning  to  the  cave, 
Sam  found  his  comrades  still  asleep.  Letta  was 
assisting  old  Meerta  in  the  preparation  of  a  sub- 
stantial breakfast  that  would  not  have  done  discredit 
to  a  first-class  hotel. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad  you've  come!"  said  Letta, 
running  up  to  him  and  giving  him  both  hands  to 
shake,  and  a  ready  little  mouth  to  kiss,  "  for  I 
didn't  like  to  awaken  your  friends,  and  the  sailor 
one  looks  so  still  that  I  fear  he  may  be  dying.  I 
saw  one  of  the  naughty  men  die  here,  and  he  looked 
just  like  that." 

Somewhat  alarmed  by  this,  Sam  went  at  once  to 
the  sailor  and  looked  earnestly  at  him. 

"  No  fear,  Letta,"  he  said,  '•  the  poor  fellow  is  not 
dying ;  he  is  only  in  a  very  profound  sleep,  having 
been  much  exhausted  and  nearly  killed  yesterday. 
Hallo,  Robin  !  awake  at  last?" 

Ptobin,  who  had  been  roused  by  the  voices,  rubbed 
his  eyes,  yawned  vociferously,  and  looked  vacantly 
round. 

"  Well,  now,  that 's  most  extraordinary  ;  it  isn't  a 
dream  after  all !'' 

"  It's  an  uncommon  pleasant  dream,  if  it  is  one," 
remarked  Jim  Slagg,  with  a  grave  stare  at  Robin, 


THE  BAT'J'EEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  209 

RS  he  sat  up  on  his  couch.  "  T  never  in  all  my 
bom  clays  dreamt  such  a  sweet  smell  of  coffee  and 
fried  sausages.  Why,  the  old  'ooman's  a-bringin' 
of  'em  in,  I  do  declare.  Pinch  me.  Stumps,  to  see  if 
I  'm  awake  !" 

As  Stumps  was  still  asleep,  Slagg  himself  resorted 
to  the  method  referred  to,  and  roused  his  comrade. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  were  all  seated  at  breakfast 
with  the  exception  of  the  sailor,  whom  it  was 
thought  best  to  leave  to  his  repose  until  nature 
should  whisper  in  his  ear. 

"  Well  now,"  said  Slagg,  pausing  to  rest  for  a  few 
seconds,  "  if  we  had  a  submarine  cable  'tween  this 
and  England,  and  we  was  to  give  'em  an  account 
of  all  we  've  seen  an'  bin  doin',  they  'd  never  believe 
it." 

"  Cer'nly  not.  They  'd  say  it  wos  all  a  passel  o' 
lies,"  remarked  Stumps  ;  "  but  I  say,  Mr.  Sam — " 

"  Come  now,  Stumps,  don't  '  Mister '  me  any 
more." 

"Well,  I  won't  do  it  any  more,  though  'tain't 
easy  to  change  one's  'abits.  But  how  is  it,  sir,  that 
that  there  electricity  works  ?  That 's  what  I 
wants  to  know.  Does  the  words  run  along  the 
cable, — or  'ow  ?" 

"  Of  course  they  do.  Stumpy,"  interrupted  Slagg, 
"  they  run  along  the  cable  like  a  lot  o'  little  tight- 
rope dancers,  an'  when  they  come  to  the  end  o  't 

0 


210  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

they  jumps  oJS"  an'  ranges  'temselves  in  a  row. 
Sometimes,  in  coorse,  they  spells  wrong,  like  bad 
schoolboys,  and  then  they've  to  be  walloped  an' 
set  right." 

"Hold  your  noise,  Slagg,  an'  let  your  betters 
speak,"  returned  Stumps. 

"  Well,  if  they  don't  exactly  do  that,"  said  Sam 
Shipton,  "  there  are  people  who  think  they  can  do 
things  even  more  difficult.  I  remember  once,  when 
I  was  clerk  at  a  country  railroad  station  and  had 
to  work  the  telegraph,  an  old  woman  came  into  the 
ticket  office  in  a  state  of  wild  despair.  She  was 
about  the  size  and  shape  of  Meerta  there,  but  with 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  more  nose,  and  two  or 
three  ounces  less  brain. 

"  'What 's  wrong,  madam  ? '  I  asked,  feeling  quite 
sorry  for  the  poor  old  thing. 

" '  Oh  !  sir,'  said  she,  clasping  her  hands,  '  I  've 
bin  an'  left  my  passel, — a  brown  paper  one  it  was, 
— on  the  seat  at  the  last  station,  an'  there  was  a 
babby's  muffler  in  it — the  sweetest  thing  as  ever 
was — an'  f-fi'  pun  t-ten,  on'y  one  sh-shillin'  was 
b-bad — boo-hoo ! ' 

"  She  broke  down  entirely  at  this  point,  so,  said  I, 
'  Madam,  make  your  mind  quite  easy,  sit  down,  and 
I  '11  telegraph  at  once  ; '  so  I  telegraphed,  and  got 
a  reply  back  immediately  that  the  parcel  had  been 
found  all  right,  and  would  be  sent  ou  as  soon  as 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  211 

possible.  I  told  this  to  the  old  lady,  who  seemed 
quite  pleased,  and  went  on  to  the  platform  to  wait. 

"  I  was  pretty  busy  for  the  next  quarter  of  an 
hour,  for  it  was  market  day  at  the  next  town,  but 
I  noticed  through  the  window  that  the  old  lady 
was  standing  on  the  platform,  gazing  steadily  up 
at  the  sky. 

"  '  Broxley — third  class,'  said  a  big  farmer  at  that 
moment,  with  a  head  like  one  of  his  own  turnips. 

"  I  gave  him  his  ticket,  and  for  five  minutes 
more  I  was  kept  pretty  busy,  when  up  came  the 
train ;  in  got  the  struggling  crowd  ;  whew  !  went 
the  whistle,  and  away  went  the  whole  affair,  leaving 
no  one  on  the  platform  but  the  porter,  and  the  old 
woman  still  staring  up  at  the  sky. 

"  '  What 's  the  matter,  madam  ? '  I  asked. 

"  *  Matter  ! '  she  exclaimed,  '  a  pretty  telegraph 
yours  is  to  be  sure  !  wuss  than  the  old  carrier  by  a 
long  way.  Here  'ave  I  bin  standin'  for  full  'alf-an- 
hour  with  my  neck  nigh  broke,  and  there  's  no  sign 
of  it  yet,' 

" '  No  sign  of  what,  madam  V 

"  '  Of  my  brown  paper  passel,  to  be  sure.  Didn't 
you  tell  me,  young  man,  that  they  said  they  'd  send 
it  by  telegraph  as  soon  as  possible  ? ' 

" '  No,  madam,'  I  replied,  '  I  told  you  they  had 
telegraphed  to  say  they  would  send  it  on  as  soon 
as  possible — meaning,  of  course,  by  rail,  for  we  have 


212  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

not  yet  discovered  the  method  of  sending  parcels 
by  telegraph — though,  no  doubt,  we  shall  in  course 
of  time.  If  you  '11  give  me  your  address  I  '11  send 
the  parcel  to  you.' 

" '  Thank  you,  young  man.  Do,'  she  said,  giving 
me  an  old  envelope  with  her  name  on  it.  '  Be  sure 
you  do.  I  don't  mind  the  money  much,  but  I 
couldn't  a-bear  to  lose  that  muffler.  It  was  sudi 
a  sweet  thing,  turned  up  with  yaller,  and  a  present 
too,  which  it  isn't  many  of  'em  comes  my  way.' 

"  So  you  see,  Stumps,  some  people  have  queer 
notions  about  the  powers  of  the  telegraph." 

"  But  did  the  old  lady  get  the  parcel  all  right  ? " 
asked  Stumps,  who  was  a  sympathetic  soul. 

"  Of  course  she  did,  and  came  over  to  the  station 
next  day  to  thank  me,  and  offer  me  the  bad  shilling 
by  way  of  reward.  Of  course  I  declined  it  with 
many  expressions  of  gratitude." 

While  they  were  thus  adding  intellectual  sauce 
to  the  material  feast  of  breakfast,  the  rescued  sailor 
awoke  from  his  prolonged  sleep,  and  stretched 
himself. 

He  was  a  huge,  thick-set  man,  with  a.  benign 
expression  of  countenance,  but  that  phase  of  his 
character  was  somewhat  concealed  at  the  time  by 
two  black  eyes,  a  swollen  nose,  a  cut  lip,  and  a  torn 
cheek.  Poor  fellow,  he  had  suffered  severely  at 
the  hands  of  the  pirates,  and  suddenly  checked  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  213 

stretch  in  which  he  was  indulging  with  a  sharp 
groan,  or  growl,  as  he  sat  up  and  pressed  his  hand 
to  his  side. 

"  Why,  what 's  the  matter  with  me,  an'  where 
am  I  ?"  he  exclaimed,  gazing  round  the  cave,  while 
a  look  of  wonder  gradually  displaced  the  expression 
of  pain. 

"  You  're  all  right — rescued  from  the  pirates  at 
all  events/'  answered  Sam  Shipton,  rising  from  table 
and  sitting  down  beside  the  seaman's  couch. 

"Thank  God  for  that!"  said  the  man  earnestly, 
though  with  a  troubled  look  ;  "  but  how  did  I  escape 
— where  are  the  rascals  ? — what — " 

"  There,  now,  don't  excite  yourself,  my  man ; 
you're  not  quite  yourself  in  body.  Come,  let  me 
feel  your  pulse.  Ah,  slightly  feverish — no  wonder 
I  '11  tell  you  all  about  it  soon,  but  at  present  you 
must  be  content  merely  to  know  that  you  are  safe 
in  the  hands  of  friends,  that  you  are  in  the  pirates' 
cave,  and  that  the  pirates  and  their  vessel  are  now 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 

"  That 's  hardly  c'rect,  Mr,  Shipton,"  murmured 
Slagg ;  "  I  would  have  said  they  was  blow'd  to 
hatoras." 

The  seaman  turned  and  looked  at  the  speaker 
with  what  would  have  been  a  twinkle  if  his  swelled 
visage  would  have  permitted,  but  the  effort  pro- 
duced another  spasm  of  pain. 


214  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  I  must  examine  you,  friend,"  said  Sam ;  "  you 
have  been  severely  handled.  Help  me  to  strip  him, 
Eobin." 

The  poor  man  at  once  submitted. 

"You're  a  doctor,  sir,  I  suppose?"  he  asked. 

"  No,"  said  Sam,  "  only  an  amateur  ;  nevertheless 
I  know  what  I  'm  about.  You  see,  I  think  that 
every  man  in  the  world,  whatever  his  station  or 
profession,  should  be  at  least  slightly  acquainted 
with  every  subject  under  the  sun  in  connection 
with  which  he  may  be  called  on  to  act.  In  other 
words,  he  should  know  at  least  a  little  about 
surgery,  and  physic,  and  law,  and  carpentering, 
blacksmithing,  building,  cooking,  riding,  swimming, 
and — hallo  !  why,  two  of  your  ribs  are  broken,  my 
man ! " 

"  Sorry  to  hear  it,  sir,  but  not  surprised,  for  I 
feels  as  if  two  or  three  o'  my  spines  was  broken 
also,  and  five  or  six  o'  my  lungs  bu'sted.  You  won't 
be  able  to  mend  'em,  I  fear." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  shall,"  said  Sam  cheerily. 

"  Ah  !  that 's  well.  I  'd  thowt  that  p'r'aps  you 
wouldn't  have  the  tools  'andy  in  these  parts  for 
splicin'  of  em." 

"Fortunately  no  tools  are  required,"  returned 
Sam.  "  I  '11  soon  put  you  right,  but  you'll  have  to 
lie  still  for  some  time.  Here,  Robin,  go  into  the 
store- cave  and  fetch  me  a  few  yards  of  that  white 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  215 

cotton,  you  remember,  near  the  door.     And,  I  say, 
mind  you  keep  well  clear  of  the  powder." 

When  the  cotton  was  brought,  Sam  tore  it  up 
into  long  strips,  which  he  wound  somewhat  tightly 
round  the  sailor's  huge  chest. 

"You  see,"  he  observed,  as  he  applied  the 
bandages,  "broken  ribs  are  not  necessarily  displaced, 
but  the  action  of  breathing  separates  the  ends  of 
them  continually,  so  that  they  can't  get  a  chance 
of  re-uniting.  All  we  have  to  do,  therefore,  is  to 
prevent  your  taking  a  full  breath,  and  this  is 
accomplished  by  tying  you  up  tight — so.  Now, 
you  can't  breathe  fully  even  if  you  would,  and  I  'd 
recommend  you  not  to  try.  By  the  way — what 's 
your  name  ? " 

"  Johnson,  sir, — John  Johnson." 

"Well,  Johnson,  I'll  give  you  something  to  eat 
and  drink  now,  after  which  you  '11  have  another 
sleep.  To-morrow  we  11  have  a  chat  on  things  in 
general." 

"  I  say,"  asked  Kobin  that  night,  as  he  and  Sam 
stood  star-gazing  together  beside  a  small  fire  wliich 
had  been  kindled  outside  the  cavern-mouth  for 
cookino-  purposes,  "  is  it  true  that  you  have  studied 
all  the  subjects  you  mentioned  to  Johnson  this 
morning?" 

"  Quite  true.  I  have  not  indeed  studied  them 
loner  or  profoundly,  but  I  have  acquired  sufficient 


216  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

knowledge  of  each  to  enable  me  to  take  intelligent 
action,  as  I  did  this  morning,  instead  of  standing 
helplessly  by,  or,  what  might  be  worse,  making  a 
blind  attempt  to  do  something  on  the  chance  that 
it  might  be  the  right  thing,  as  once  happened  to 
myself  when  a  bungling  ignoramus  gave  me  a  glass 
of  brandy  to  cure  what  he  called  mulligrumps,  but 
what  in  truth  turned  out  to  be  inflammation." 

"  But  what  think  you  of  the  saying  that  '  a  little 
knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing,'  Sam." 

"  I  think  that,  like  most  of  the  world's  maxims, 
it  is  only  partially,  or  relatively,  true.  If  Little 
Knowledge  claims  the  position  and  attempts  to  act 
the  part  of  Great  Knowledge,  it  becomes  dangerous 
indeed  ;  but  if  Little  Knowledge  walks  modestly, 
and  only  takes  action  when  none  but  Ignorance 
stands  by,  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  neither  dangerous 
nor  liable  to  be  destructive." 

While  they  were  speaking,  little  Letta  came  out 
of  the  cavern  and  ran  towards  them. 

"  It  is  like  a  dream  of  the  Arabian  Nights  to 
meet  such  a  little  angel  here,"  murmured  Eobin ; 
"  what  a  dreadful  blow  the  loss  of  her  must  have 
been  to  her  poor  mother  !" 

"  0  !  come  to  Johnson,  please,"  she  said,  taking 
Sam  by  the  hand  with  a  very  trustful  look  and 
manner. 

"  Why;  ho  's  not  worse,  is  he  ?" 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER,  217 

"0  no  !  he  has  just  awakened,  and  says  he  is 
very  much  better,  and  so  peckish.  What  does  he 
mean  by  that  ? " 

"  Peckish,  my  dear,  is  hungry,"  explained  Eobin, 
as  they  went  into  the  cave  together. 

They  found  that  Johnson  was  not  only  peckish 
but  curious,  and  thirsting  for  information  as  well  as 
meat  and  drink.  As  his  pulse  was  pronounced  by 
Dr.  Shipton  to  be  all  right,  he  was  gratified  with  a 
hearty  supper,  a  long  pull  at  the  tankard  of  sparkling 
water,  and  a  good  deal  of  information  and  small- 
talk  about  the  pirates,  the  wreck  of  the  Triton,  and 
the  science  of  electricity. 

"  But  you  have  not  told  us  yet,"  said  Sam,  "  how 
it  was  that  you  came  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
pirates." 

"  I  can  soon  tell  'ee  that,"  said  the  seaman,  turn- 
ing slowly  on  his  couch. 

"  Lie  still,  now,  you  must  not  move,"  said  Sam, 
remonstratively. 

"  But  that  not  movin',  doctor,  is  wuss  than  down- 
right pain,  by  a  long  way.  Hows'ever,  I  s'pose  I 
must  obey  orders — anyhow  you've  got  the  whip 
hand  o'  me  just  now.  Well,  as  I  was  sayin',  the 
yarn  ain't  a  long  un.  I  sailed  from  the  port  o' 
Lun'on  in  a  tea-clipper,  of  which  I  was  the  cook ; 
got  out  to  Hong-Kong  all  right,  shipped  a  cargo, 
and  off  again  for  old  England.    We  hadn't  got  far 


218  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

when  a  most  horrible  gale  blew  us  far  out  of  our 
course.  When  it  fell  calm,  soon  arter,  we  was 
boarded  by  a  pirate.  Our  captain  fought  like  a 
hero,  but  it  warn't  of  no  use.  They  was  too  many 
for  us  ;  most  of  my  shipmates  was  killed,  and  I  was 
knocked  flat  on  the  deck  from  behind  with  a  hand- 
spike. On  recoverin',  I  found  myself  in  the  ship's 
hold,  bound  hand  and  futt,  among  a  lot  of  unfor- 
tunits  like  myself,  most  of  'em  beiu'  Chinese  and 
Malays.  The  reptiles  untied  my  hands  and  set 
me  to  an  oar.  They  thrashed  us  all  unmercifully 
to  make  us  work  hard,  and  killed  the  weak  ones 
to  be  rid  of  'em.  At  last  we  came  to  an  anchor, 
as  I  knew  by  the  rattlin'  o'  the  cables,  though, 
bein'  below,  I  couldn't  see  where  we  was.  Then 
I  heard  the  boats  got  out,  an'  all  the  crew  went 
ashore,  as  I  guessed,  except  the  guard  left  to  watch 
us. 

"  That  night  I  dreamed  a  deal  about  bein'  free, 
an'  about  former  voyages— specially  one  when  I 
was  wrecked  in  the  Atlantic,  an'  our  good  ship,  the 
Seahorse,  went  down  in  lat. — " 

"  The  Seahorse  !  "  echoed  Eobin,  with  an  earnest 
look  at  the  sailor ;  "  was  she  an  emigrant  ship  ?" 

"  Ay,  that 's  just  what  she  was." 

"Was  she  lost  in  the  year  1850?"  continued 
Robin,  wath  increasing  excitement. 

"  Jus'  so,  my  lad." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  219 

"And  you  were  cook?" 

"  You  've  hit  the  nail  fair  on  the  head,"  replied  the 
sailor,  with  a  look  of  surprise. 

"  Well,  now,  that  is  most  remarkable,"  said  Eobin, 
"for  I  was  born  on  board  of  that  very  ship." 

"  You  don't  mean  it,"  said  Johnson,  looking  eagerly 
at  our  hero.  "  Was  you  really  the  babby  as  was  born 
to  that  poor  miserable  sea-sick  gentleman,  Mr. 
Wright — you  '11  excuse  my  sayin'  so — in  the  middle 
of  a  thunder-clap  an'  a  flash  o'  lightnin'  as  would 
have  split  our  main-mast  an'  sent  us  to  the  bottom, 
along  wi'  the  ship,  if  it  hadn't  bin  for  the  noo 
lightnin'  conductor  that  Mr.  Harris,  the  inventor, 
indooced  our  skipper  to  put  up  !" 

"  Yes,  I  am  that  very  baby,"  said  Eobin,  "  and 
although,  of  course,  I  remember  nothing  about  the 
thunder  and  lightning,  or  anything  else,  my  father 
and  mother  have  often  told  me  all  about  it,  and  the 
wonderful  deliverance  which  God  mercifully  sent 
when  all  hope  had  been  given  up.  And  many  a 
time  did  they  speak  of  you,  Johnson,  as  a  right  good 
fellow  and  a  splendid  cook." 

"  Much  obleedged  to  'em,"  said  Johnson,  "  an'  are 
they  both  alive  ?" 

"They  were  both  alive  and  well  when  I  left 
England." 

"  Come  now,  this  is  pleasant,  to  meet  an  old  ship- 
mate  in   such    pecooliar   circumstances,"  said   the 


220  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

sailor,  extending  his  hand,  which  Eobin  shook 
warmly  ;  "quite  as  good  as  a  play,  ain't  it  ?" 

"  Ay,"  observed  Jim  Slagg,  who  with  the  others 
had  witnessed  this  meeting  with  deep  interest,  "  an' 
the  babby  has  kep'  the  lighten'  goin'  ever  since, 
though  he 's  dropped  the  thunder,  for  he 's  an 
electrician  no  less — a  manufacturer  of  lightnin'  an' 
a  director  ot  it  too." 

The  sailor  was  a  good  deal  puzzled  by  this  remark, 
but  when  its  purport  was  explained  to  him,  he  gave 
vent  to  a  vigorous  chuckle,  notwithstanding  Sam's 
stern  order  to  "  lie  still." 

"  Didn't  I  say  so  ?"  he  exclaimed.  "  Didn't  I  say 
distinctly,  that  night,  to  the  stooard — Thomson  was 
his  name — '  Stooard,'  said  I,  '  that  there  babby  what 
has  just  bin  born  will  make  his  mark  some'ow  an' 
somew'eres.'" 

"  Well,  but  I  have  not  made  my  mark  yet,"  said 
Eobin,  laughing,  "  so  you  're  not  a  true  prophet,  at 
least  time  has  not  yet  proved  your  title." 

"  Not  yet  proved  it !"  cried  Johnson  with  vehe- 
mence, "  why,  how  much  proof  do  you  want  ?  Here 
you  are,  not  much  more  than  a  babby  yet — any'ow 
hardly  a  man — and.  besides  havin'  bin  born  in 
thunder,  lightnin',  wind,  an'  rain,  you've  laid  the 
Atlantic  Cable,  you  've  took  up  lightnin'  as  a  pro- 
fession— or  a  plaything, — you  've  helped  to  save  the 
life  of  John  Johnson,  an'  you've  got  comfortably 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  221 

located  in  a  pirate's  island !  If  you  on'y  go  ou  as 
you  've  begun,  you  '11  make  your  mark  so  deep  that 
it  '11  never  be  rubbed  out  to  the  end  of  time.  A 
prophet,  indeed  !  Why,  I  'm  shuperior  to  Mahomet, 
an'  beat  Nebuchadnezzar  all  to  sticks." 

"  But  you  haven't  finished  your  story,  Johnson," 
said  Jim  Slagg. 

"That's  true — where  was  I?  Ah,  dreamin'  in 
the  hold  of  the  pirate  ship.  Well,  I  woke  up  with 
a  start  all  of  a  suddent,  bent  on  doin'  suthin',  I 
scarce  knew  what,  but  I  wriggled  away  at  the  rope 
that  bound  me  till  I  got  my  hands  free ;  then  I 
freed  my  legs ;  then  I  loosed  some  o'  the  boldest 
fellows  among  the  slaves,  and  got  handspikes  and 
bits  o'  wood  to  arm  'em  with.  They  was  clever 
enough  to  understand  signs,  an'  I  couldn't  speak  to 
'em,  not  knowin'  their  lingo,  but  I  signed  to  'em  to 
keep  quiet  as  mice.  Then  I  crep'  to  the  powder 
magazine,  which  the  reckless  reptiles  fastened  very 
carelessly,  and  got  a  bit  paper  and  made  a  slow 
match  by  rubbin'  some  wet  powder  on  it,  and  laid  it 
all  handy,  for  I  was  determined  to  escape  and  put  an 
end  to  their  doin's  all  at  once.  My  plan  was  to 
attack  and  overpower  the  guard,  free  and  arm  all 
the  slaves,  blow  up  the  ship,  escape  on  shore,  an' 
have  a  pitched  battle  with  the  pirate  crew.  Un- 
fortunately there  was  a  white-livered  traitor  among 
us— a  sort  o'  half-an'-half  slave —very  likely  he  was 


222  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

a  spy.  Anyhow,  when  he  saw  what  I  was  about, 
he  slipped  over  the  side  and  swam  quietly  ashore. 
Why  he  didn't  alarm  the  guards  I  don't  know — 
p'r'aps  he  thought  we  might  be  too  many  for  'em,  and 
that  if  we  conquered  he  stood  but  a  small  chance. 
Anyhow  he  escaped  the  sharks,  and  warned  the 
crew  in  good  time,  for  we  was  in  the  very  middle 
of  the  scrimmage  when  they  suddintly  turned  up, 
as  you  saw,  an'  got  the  better  of  us.  Hows'ever  I 
managed  to  bolt  below  and  fire  the  slow  match, 
before  they  saw  what  I  was  after.  Then  I  turned 
and  fought  my  way  on  deck  again,  so  that  they 
didn't  find  out.  And  when  they  was  about  to 
throw  me  overboard,  the  thought  of  the  surprise  in 
store  for  'em  indooced  me  to  give  vent  to  a  hearty 
cheer.  It  warn't  a  right  state  o'  mind,  I  confess, 
and  I  was  properly  punished,  for,  instead  o'  killin' 
me  off  quick  an'  comfortable,  they  tied  me  hand  and 
futt,  took  me  below,  an'  laid  me  not  two  yards  from 
the  slowly  burnin'  match.  I  felt  raither  unhappy,  I 
assure  you ;  au'  the  reptiles  never  noticed  the  match 
because  o'  the  smoke  o'  the  scrimmage.  I  do  believe 
it  was  being  so  near  it  as  saved  me,  for  when  the  crash 
came,  I  was  lifted  bodily  wi'  the  planks  on  which  I 
lay,  and,  comin'  down  from  the  sky,  as  it  appeared 
to  me,  I  went  clean  into  the  sea  without  damage, 
except  the  breakiu'  o'  one  o'  the  ropes,  which,  for- 
tunately, set  ray  right  arm  free." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  223 

"  Come  now,  Johnson,  you  must  go  to  sleep  after 
that,"  said  Sam.  "You're  exciting  yourself  too 
much ;  remember  that  I  am  your  doctor,  and 
obedience  is  the  first  law  of  nature — when  one  is 
out  of  health." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  returned  the  seaman ;  "  but  be- 
fore I  turn  over  Mr.  Wright  must  read  me  a  few 
verses  out  o'  that  bible  his  mother  gave  him." 

"  Why,  how  do  you  know  that  my  mother  gave 
me  a  bible  ?"  asked  Eobin  in  great  surprise. 

"Didn't  I  know  your  mother?"  replied  the  sailor 
with  a  flush  of  enthusiasm  ;  "  an'  don't  I  know  that 
she  would  sooner  have  let  you  go  to  sea  without 
her  blessing  than  without  the  Word  of  God  ?  She 
was  the  first  human  bein'  as  ever  spoke  to  me  about 
my  miserable  soul,  and  the  love  of  God  in  sendin' 
His  Son  to  save  it.  Many  a  one  has  asked  me 
about  my  health,  and  warned  me  to  fly  from  drink, 
and  offered  to  help  me  on  in  life,  but  she  was  the 
first  that  ever  asked  after  my  soul,  or  tried  to  im- 
press on  me  that  Eternity  and  its  affairs  were  of 
more  importance  than  Time.  I  didn't  say  much  at 
the  time,  but  the  seed  that  your  mother  planted 
nigh  twenty  years  ago  has  bin  watered,  thank  God, 
an'  kep'  alive  ever  since." 

There  was  a  tone  of  seriousness  and  gratitude  in 
this  off-hand  seaman's  manner,  while  speaking  of  his 
mother,  which  touched  Pobin  deeply.      Without  a 


224  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

moment's  hesitation  he  pulled  out  his  bible  and  read 
a  chapter  in  the  Gospel  of  John. 

"  Now  you  '11  pray,"  said  the  sailor,  to  Eobin's 
surprise  and  embarrassment,  for  he  had  never  prayed 
in  public  before,  though  accustomed  from  a  child  to 
make  known  his  wants  to  God  nis-ht  and  morniufi;. 

But  our  hero  was  morally  as  well  as  physically 
courageous — as  every  hero  should  be  !  He  knelt  at 
once  by  the  sailor's  couch,  while  the  others  followed 
his  example,  and,  in  a  few  simple  sentences,  asked 
for  pardon,  blessing,  help,  and  guidance  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

Thus  peculiarly  was  bible-reading  and  family 
worship  established  on  the  pirates'  island  in  the 
year  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  095 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

,iN   EXPLORATION  AND  AN   ACCIDENT. 

For  tlie  first  few  days  of  their  stay  on  what  they 
styled  Pirate  Island,  our  castaways  were  too  mucli 
taken  up  with  the  wondrous  and  varied  contents  of 
the  robbers'  cave,  and  the  information  Meerta  and 
Letta  had  to  give,  to  pay  much  regard  to  the  island 
itself,  or  the  prospect  they  had  of  quitting  it.  But 
when  their .  interest  and  curiosity  began  to  abate, 
and  the  excitement  to  decrease,  they  naturally  be- 
thought them  of  the  nature  and  resources  of  their 
new  home. 

Of  course  they  did  not  for  a  moment  regard  it  in 
the  light  of  liome.  It  was  merely  a  resting-place, 
— a  refuge,  where,  after  their  escape  from  the  sea, 
they  should  spend  a  few  weeks,  perhaps  months, 
until  a  passing  vessel  should  take  them  off  They 
did  not  know,  at  that  time,  that  the  islet  was  far 
removed  from  the  usual  track  of  ships,  and  that, 
like  the  Pitcairn  Islanders,  they  might  be  doomed 
to  spend  many  years,  perchance  a  lifetime,  on  it. 
P 


226  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Indeed,  a  considerable  time  elapsed  before  they 
would  admit  to  themselves  that  there  was  a  possi- 
bility of  such  a  fate,  although  they  knew,  both  from 
Meerta  and  Letta,  that  no  ship  of  any  kind,  save 
that  of  the  pirates,  had  been  seen  for  the  last 
eighteen  months,  and  the  few  sails  that  did  chance 
to  appear,  were  merely  seen  for  a  few  hours  like 
sea-gulls  on  the  horizon,  from  which  they  arose  and 
into  which  they  vanished. 

Having  then,  as  we  have  said,  bethought  them  of 
examining  the  resources  and  nature  of  the  island, 
they  one  morning  organised  an  expedition.  By  that 
time  the  sailor,  although  by  no  means  fit  for  it, 
insisted  that  he  was  sufficiently  restored  to  accom- 
pany them.  Letta,  who  was  active  and  strong  like 
a  small  gazelle,  besides  being  acquainted  with  the 
whole  region,  agreed  to  act  as  guide.  Stumps, 
having  sprained  his  ankle  slightly,  remained  at 
the  cave,  for  the  purpose,  as  he  said,  of  helping 
Meerta  with  the  garden,  but  Jim  Slagg  gave  him 
credit  for  laziness. 

"  You  see,"  said  Sam  Shipton,  as  Letta  led  them 
down  the  rugged  mountain-side,  "  we  may  as  well 
make  ourselves  comfortable  while  we  remain  here, 
and  I  'm  inclined  to  think  that  a  hut,  however 
rough,  down  in  one  of  these  charming  valleys,  will 
be  more  agreeable  than  the  gloomy  cavern  on  the 
mountain-top." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  227 

"  Not  SO  sure  o'  that,  doctor,"  said  Johnson  ;  "  the 
cave  is  at  all  events  dry,  and  a  good  stronghold  in 
case  of  a  visit  from  pirates." 

"  But  pirates  vi^hat  have  bin  blow'd  to  atoms/' 
said  Slagg,  "ain't  likely  to  turnup  again,  are  they?" 

"  That 's  so,  lad  ;  but  some  of  their  friends  might 
pay  us  a  visit,  you  know." 

"  I  think  not,"  rejoined  Sam ;  "  there  is  honour 
among  thieves  here,  no  doubt,  as  elsewhere.  I 
daresay  it  is  well  known  among  the  fraternity  that 
the  island  belongs  to  a  certain  set,  and  the  rest  will 
therefore  let  it  alone.     What  think  you,  Eobin  ?" 

"  I  'm  inclined  to  agree  with  you,  Sam,  but 
perhaps  Letta  is  the  best  authority  on  that  point. 
Did  you  ever  see  any  other  set  of  pirates  land  here, 
little  one,  except  your — your  own  set  ?" 

"  Only  once,"  answered  the  child,  "  another  set 
came,  but  they  only  stayed  one  day.  They  looked 
at  everything,  looked  at  me  an'  Meerta  an'  laughed 
very  much.  An'  they  ate  and  drank  a  good  deal, 
and  fought  a  little :  but  they  took  nothing  away, 
and  never  came  back." 

"  I  thought  so,"  rejoined  Sam  ;  "  now,  all  we  've 
got  to  do  is  to  hoist  a  flag  on  the  highest  peak 
of  the  mountain,  and  when  a  vessel  comes  to  take 
us  off,  load  her  with  as  much  of  the  booty  as 
she  can  carry — and  then,  hurrah  for  old  Eng- 
land I" 


228  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

"  Hooray  !  "  echoed  Jiin  Slagg,  "  them 's  exactly 
my  sentiments." 

"  But  the  booty  is  not  ours  to  take,"  objected 
Eobin. 

**  Whose  is  it,  then  ? "  asked  Sam  ;  "  the  rightful 
owners  we  don't  know,  and  the  wrongful  owners  are 
defunct." 

"  I  tell  'ee  what  it  is,  mates,"  said  Johnson,  "  the 
whole  o'  the  booty  is  mine,  'cause  why  ?  it  was  me 
as  blowed  up  the  owners,  so  I  'm  entitled  to  it  by 
conquest,  an'  you  needn't  go  to  fightin'  over  it.  If 
you  behave  yourselves,  I  '11  divide  it  equally  among 
us,  share  an'  share  alike." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Johnson,"  said  Eobin,  "  that  in 
strict  justice  the  booty  belongs  to  Letta,  Meerta,  and 
blind  Bungo,  as  the  natural  heirs  of  the  pirates." 

"  But  they  're  not  the  heirs,  they  are  part  of  the 
booty,"  said  the  seaman,  "  and,  as  sitch,  falls  to  be 
divided  among  us." 

"  If  that 's  so,"  said  Slagg,  "  then  I  claim  Letta 
for  my  share,  and  you,  Johnson,  can  have  your  pick 
of  Meerta  and  blind  Bungo." 

"  Nay,  Letta  is  mine,  because  I  was  the  first  to 
discover  her,"  said  Eobin.  "Whom  will  you  go 
with,  Letta  ?" 

"  With  you,  of  course,"  replied  the  child  quite 
earnestly.  "  Haven't  you  promised  to  take  me 
back  to  mamma?" 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  229 

"  Indeed  I  have,  little  one,  and  if  I  ever  get  the 
chance,  assuredly  I  will,"  said  Eobin,  with  equal 
earnestness. 

"I  say,  doctor,"  said  Johnson  to  Sam,  sitting 
down  on  a  mossy  bank,  "  I  '11  stop  here  and  wait  for 
you.     That  rib  ain't  all  square  yet." 

"  Wilful  man,"  said  Sam,  "  didn't  I  advise  you 
not  to  come  ?  There,  lie  down  and  take  it  easy. 
We  '11  bring  you  some  fruit  on  our  return." 

By  this  time  the  party  had  reached  the  valley  in 
which  the  lakelet  lay,  and  beautiful  indeed  was  the 
scene  which  presented  itself  as  they  passed  under 
the  grateful  shade  of  the  palm-trees.  Everywhere, 
rich  tropical  vegetation  met  their  gaze,  through  the 
openings  in  which  the  sunshine  poured  like  streams 
of  fire.  On  the  little  lake  numerous  flocks  of  ducks 
and  other  fowl  were  seen  swimming  in  sportive 
mood,  while  an  occasional  splash  told  of  fish  of 
some  sort  below  tlie  surface. 

Leaving  the  sailor  in  a  position  whence  he  could 
observe  them  for  a  long  distance,  the  rest  of  the 
party  pushed  on.  During  their  rambles  they  found 
the  valley  to  be  much  richer  in  vegetation,  and 
more  beautiful,  than  the  distant  view  from  the 
mountain-top  had  led  them  to  expect.  Small 
though  the  valley  was,  it  contained,  among  other 
trees,  the  cocoa-nut  palm,  the  bread-fruit,  banana, 
and   sandal-wood.      There    were   also    pine-apples. 


230  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

wild  rice,  and  custard-apples,  some  of  which  latter 
delicious  fruit,  being  ripe,  was  gathered  and  carried 
back  to  Johnson,  whom  they  found  sound  asleep  and 
much  refreshed  on  their  return. 

The  expedition '  proved  that,  barren  though  the 
island  appeared  from  the  sea,  it  contained  quite 
enough  of  the  good  things  of  this  life  to  render  it  a 
desirable  abode  for  man. 

On  the  coast,  too,  where  the  raft  had  been  cast 
ashore,  were  discovered  a  variety  of  shell  fish,  some 
of  which,  especially  the  oysters,  were  found  to  be 
excellent  food.  And  some  of  the  sea-fowl  turned 
out  to  be  very  good  eating,  though  a  little  fishy, 
while  their  eggs  were  as  good  as  those  of  the 
domestic  fowl. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  Eobin  to  Letta  one  day 
when  they  were  out  on  a  ramble  together,  "  that 
this  is  quite  a  little  paradise." 

"  I  don't  know  what  paradise  is  like,"  said  the 
child. 

"  Well,  no  more  do  I,"  returned  Eobin,  with  a 
laugh,  "  but  of  course  everybody  understands  that 
it  is  the  place  where  everything  is  perfect,  and 
where  happiness  is  complete." 

"  It  cannot  be  like  paradise  without  mamma," 
said  Letta,  shaking  her  pretty  head  sadly.  "  I 
would  not  go  to  heaven  unless  mauuua  was 
there." 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  231 

Eobin  was  silent  for  some  time,  as  he  thought 
of  his  own  mother  and  the  talks  he  used  to  have 
with  her  on  this  same  subject. 

"  Letta,"  he  said  at  length,  earnestly,  "  Jesus  will 
be  in  heaven.  It  was  His  Spirit  who  taught  you 
to  love  mamma  as  you  do,  so  you  are  sure  to  meet 
her  there  with  Him." 

"Nobody  taught  me  to  love  mamma,"  returned 
the  child  quietly  ;  "  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"  True,  little  one,  but  it  was  God  who  made  you 
to— 'couldn't  help  it.'" 

Letta  was  puzzled  by  this  reply.  She  raised  her 
bright  eyes  inquiringly  into  Eobin's  honest  face, 
and  said,  '•'  But  you  've  promised  to  take  me  to 
her,  you  know." 

"Yes,  dear  little  one,  but  you  must  not  mis- 
understand me,"  replied  the  youth  somewhat  sadly. 
"  I  promise  that,  God  helping  me,  I  will  do  the  best 
I  can  to  find  out  where  your  mother  is ;  but  you 
must  remember  that  I  have  very  little  to  go  on.  I 
don't  even  know  your  mother's  name,  or  the  place 
where  you  were  taken  from.  By  the  way,  an 
idea  has  just  occurred  to  me.  Have  you  any 
clothes  at  the  cave  ?" 

''■  Of  course  I  have,"  answered  Letta,  with  a 
merry  laugh. 

"  Yes ;  but  I  mean  the  clothes  that  you  had  on 
when  you  first  came  here." 


232  THE  BATTEllY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

"  I  don't  know  ;  Meerta  knows.     Why  ?" 

"  Because  your  name  may  be  marked  on  them. 
Come,  let  us  go  back  at  once  and  see.  Besides,  we 
are  wasting  time,  for  you  know  I  was  sent  out  to 
shoot  some  ducks  for  dinner." 

Eisiug  as  he  spoke,  Eobin  shouldered  the  shot- 
gun which  had  been  supplied  from  the  robbers' 
armoury,  and,  descending  with  his  little  companion 
towards  the  lake,  soon  began  to  stalk  the  birds  as 
carefully  as  if  he  had  been  trained  to  the  work 
by  a  Bed  Indian.  Stooping  low,  he  glided  swiftly 
through  the  bushes,  until  he  came  within  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  margin  of  the  lakelet,  where  a 
group  of  some  thirty  or  forty  fat  ducks  were  feed- 
ing. Letta  had  fallen  behind,  and  sat  down  to 
watch. 

The  distance  being  too  great  for  a  shot,  and  the 
bushes  beyond  the  spot  which  he  had  reached 
being  too  thin  to  conceal  him,  Eobin  lay  flat  down, 
and  began  to  advance  through  the  long  grass  after 
the  fashion  of  a  snake,  pushing  his  gun  before  him. 
It  was  a  slow  and  tedious  process,  but  Eobin's 
spirit  was  patient  and  persevering.  He  screwed 
himself,  as  it  were,  to  within  sixty  yards  of  the 
flock,  and  then  fired  both  barrels  almost  simul- 
taneously. Seven  dead  birds  remained  behind 
when  the  affrighted  flock  Look  wing. 

"  It  is  not  very  scientific  shooting,"  said  Bobin, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  233 

apologetically,  to  his  fair  companion,  as  she  assisted 
him  to  tie  their  legs  together;  "but  our  object  just 
now  is  food,  not  sport." 

On  the  way  back  to  the  cavern  they  had  to 
pass  over  a  narrow  ledge,  on  one  side  of  which 
a  precipice  descended  towards  the  valley,  while 
the  other  side  rose  upwards  like  a  wall.  It  was 
not  necessarily  a  dangerous  place.  They  had  passed 
it  often  before  in  safety,  none  of  the  party  being 
troubled  with  giddiness  ;  but  at  this  time  Eobin 
had  unfortunately  hung  his  bundle  of  ducks  on 
the  side  which  had  to  brush  past  the  rocky  wall. 
As  he  passed,  the  bunch  struck  a  projection  and 
threw  him  off  his  balance.  In  the  effort  to  re- 
cover himself  he  dislodged  a  piece  of  rock  under 
his  left  foot,  and,  without  even  a  cry,  went  headlong 
over  the  precipice  ! 

Poor  Letta  stood  rooted  to  the  spot,  too  horrified 
to  scream.  She  saw  her  friend,  on  whom  all  her 
hopes  were  built,  go  crashing  through  the  foliage 
immediately  below  the  precipice  edge,  and  disap- 
pear. It  was  the  first  terrible  shock  she  had  ever 
received.  With  a  convulsive  shudder  she  ran  by  a 
dangerously  steep  route  towards  the  foot  of  the 
precipice. 

But  Eobin  had  not  yet  met  his  doom,  although 
he  had  descended  full  sixty  feet.  His  fall  was 
broken  by  several  leafy  trees,  through  which  he 


234  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

went  like  an  avalanche ;  and  a  thick  solid  bush 
receiving  him  at  the  foot,  checked  bis  descent 
entirely,  and  slid  him  quietly  off  its  boughs  on  to 
the  grass,  where  he  lay,  stunned,  indeed,  but  other- 
wise uninjured. 

Poor  Letta  of  course  was  horrified,  on  reaching 
the  spot,  to  find  that  Eobin  could  not  speak,  and 
was  to  all  appearance  dead.  In  an  agony  of  terror 
she  shrieked,  and  shook  him  and  called  him  by 
name — to  awaken  him,  as  she  afterwards  said ;  but 
Eobin's  sleep  was  too  deep  at  that  moment  to  be 
dispelled  by  such  measures.  Letta  therefore  sprang 
up  and  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  to  the  cavern  to  tell 
the  terrible  news  and  fetch  assistance. 

Robin,  however,  was  not  left  entirely  alone  in  his 
extremity.  It  so  chanced  that  a  remarkably  small 
monkey  was  seated  among  the  boughs  of  a  neigh- 
bouring tree,  eating  a  morsel  of  fruit,  when  Letta's 
first  scream  sounded  through  the  grove.  Cocking 
up  one  ear,  it  arrested  its  little  hand  on  the  way  to 
its  lesser  mouth,  and  listened.  Its  little  black  face 
was  corrugated  with  the  wrinkles  of  care — it  might 
be  of  fun,  we  cannot  tell.  The  only  large  features 
of  the  creature  were  its  eyes,  and  these  seemed  to 
blaze,  while  the  brows  rose  high,  as  if  in  surprise. 

On  hearing  the  second  scream  the  small  monkey 
laid  hold  of  a  bough  with  its  tail,  swung  itself  off, 
and  caught  another  with  its  feet,  sprang  twenty  feet, 


THE  BATTEIIY  AND  THE  BOILER.  235 

more  or  less,  to  the  ground,  which  it  reached  on  its 
hands,  tumbled  a  somersault  inadvertently,  and 
went  skipping  over  the  ground  at  a  great  rate  in  the 
direction  of  the  cries. 

When  it  reached  the  spot,  however,  Letta  had 
fled,  but  Eobin  still  lay  motionless  on  his  back.  It 
was  evident  that  the  small  monkey  looked  on  the 
prostrate  youth  with  alarm  and  suspicion,  yet  with 
an  intense  curiosity  that  no  sense  of  danger  could 
restrain.  It  walked  slowly  and  inquiringly  round 
him  several  times,  each  time  drawing  closer,  while 
its  crouched  back  and  trailing  tail  betokened  abject 
humility.  Then  it  ventured  to  put  out  a  small 
black  hand  and  touch  him,  drawing  it  back  again  as 
if  it  had  got  an  electric  shock.  Then  it  ventured 
to  touch  him  again,  with  less  alarm.  After  that  it 
went  close  up,  and  gazed  in  his  face. 

Familiarity,  says  the  proverb,  breeds  contempt. 
The  truth  of  proverbs  can  be  verified  by  monkeys  as 
well  as  men.  Seeing  that  nothing  came  of  its  ad- 
vances, that  small  monkey  finally  leaped  on  Eobin's 
chest,  sat  down  thereon,  and  stared  into  his  open 
mouth.  Still  the  youth  moved  not,  whereupon  the 
monkey  advanced  a  little  and  laid  its  paw  upon  his 
nose !  Either  the  touch  was  more  effective  than  Letta's 
shaking,  or  time  was  bringing  Eobin  round,  for  he 
felt  his  nose  tickled,  and  gave  way  to  a  tremendous 
sneeze.     It  blew  tlie  monkev  clean  off  its  legs,  and 


236  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

sent  it  shrieking  into  a  neighbouring  tree.  As 
Eobin  still  lay  quiet,  the  monkey  soon  recovered, 
and  returned  to  its  former  position,  where,  regardless 
of  consequences,  it  again  laid  hold  of  the  nose. 

This  time  consciousness  returned.  Robin  opened 
his  eyes  with  a  stare  of  dreamy  astonishment.  The 
monkey  replied  with  a  stare  of  indignant  surprise. 
Eobin's  eyebrows  rose  still  higher.  So  did  those  of 
tlie  monkey  as  it  leaped  back  a  foot,  and  formed 
its  mouth  into  a  little  0  of  remonstrance.  Robin's 
mouth  expanded ;  he  burst  into  an  uncontrollable 
fit  of  laughter,  and  the  monkey  was  again  on  the 
eve  of  flight,  when  voices  were  heard  approaching, 
and,  next  instant,  Letta  came  running  forward, 
followed  at  some  distance  by  Sam  and  the  others. 

"  Oh  !  my  dear,  sweet,  exquisite  darling !"  ex- 
claimed Letta. 

It  did  much  for  the  poor  youth's  recovery,  the 
hearing  himself  addressed  in  such  endearing  terms, 
but  he  experienced  a  relapse  when  the  monkey, 
responding  to  the  endearments,  ran  with  obvious 
joy  into  the  child's  bosom,  and  submitted  to  a  warm 
embrace. 

"  Oh,  you  darling  !"  repeated  Letta;  "  where  have 
you  been  ?  why  did  you  go  away  ?  I  thought  you 
were  dead.     Naughty  thing  !" 

Recollecting  Robin  with  a  shock  of  self-reproach, 
she  dropped  the  monkey  and  ran  to  him. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  237 

"  It  is  an  old  friend,  I  see,"  he  said  with  a  languid 
smile,  as  she  came  up. 

"  Yes,  yes  ;  an  old  pet.  I  had  lost  him  for  a  long 
time.    But  you  're  not  killed  ?    Oh  !  I  'm  so  glad."  • 

"  Killed !"  repeated  Sam,  who  was  down  on  his 
knees  carefully  examining  the  patient ;  "  I  should 
think  not.  He 's  not  even  bruised — only  stunned  a 
little.  Where  did  you  fall  from,  Eobin — the  tree- 
top  ?" 

"  No  ;  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice." 

"  What !  from  the  ledge  sixty  or  seventy  feet  up 
there  ?  Impossible  !  You  would  certainly  have 
been  killed  if  you  had  fallen  from  that." 

"  So  I  certainly  should,"  returned  Eobin,  "  if  God 
had  not  in  His  mercy  grown  trees  and  shrubs  there, 
expressly,  among  other  purposes,  to  save  me," 

In  this  reply  Robin's  mind  was  running  on 
previous  conversations  which  he  had  had  with  his 
friend  on  predestination. 

The  idea  of  shrubs  and  trees  having  been  ex- 
pressly grown  on  an  island  of  the  Southern  Seas 
to  save  an  English  boy,  seemed  doubtful  to  Sam. 
He  did  not,  however,  express  his  doubts  at  the  time, 
but  reserved  the  subject  for  a  future  "  theological 
discussion." 

Meanwhile,  Slagg,  Stumps,  and  Johnson,  having 
spread  some  palm  branches  on  a  couple  of  stout 
poles,  laid  our  hero  thereon,  and  bore  him  in  safety 


238  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

to  the  pirates'  cave,  where,  for  several  days,  he  lay 
on  one  of  the  luxurious  couches,  tenderly  nursed 
by  Letta  and  the  old  woman,  who,  although  she 
still  pathetically  maintained  that  the  "  roberts  an' 
pyrits  wasn't  all  so  bad  as  each  oder,"  was  quite 
willing  to  admit  that  her  present  visitors  were 
preferable,  and  that,  upon  the  whole,  she  was  rather 
fond  of  them. 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEIl.  230 


CHAPTER   XX. 

VARIOUS  SUBJECTS   TREATED  OF,   AND   A   GREAT  FIGHT  DETAILED. 

It  was  the  habit  of  Eobin  and  his  friends  at  this 
time,  the  weather  being  extremely  fine  and  cool,  to 
sit  at  the  month  of  their  cavern  of  an  evening, 
chatting  about  the  events  of  the  day,  or  the  pro- 
spects of  the  future,  or  the  experiences  of  the  past, 
while  old  Meerta  busied  herself  preparing  supper 
over  a  fire  kindled  on  the  ground. 

No  subject  was  avoided  on  these  occasions,  be- 
cause the  friends  were  harmoniously  minded,  in 
addition  to  which  the  sweet  influences  of  mingled 
star-light  and  fire-light,  soft  air,  and  lovely  prospect 
of  land  and  sea — to  say  nothing  of  the  prospect  of 
supper — all  tended  to  induce  a  peaceful  and  for- 
bearing spirit. 

"Well,  now,"  said  Eobin,  continuing  a  subject 
which  often  engaged  their  intellectual  powers,  "it 
seems  to  me  simple  enough." 

"Simple!"  exclaimed  Johnson,  with  a  half  sar- 
castic laugh,  "w'y,  now,    you  an'   the  doctor   'ave 


240  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

tried  to  worrit  that  electricity  into  my  brain  for 
many  months,  off  an'  on,  and  I  do  believe  as  I  'm 
more  muddled  about  it  to-night  than  I  was  at  the 
beginnin'." 

"  P'r'aps  it 's  because  you  hain't  got  no  brains  to 
work  upon,"  suggested  Slagg. 

"  P'r'aps  it  is,"  humbly  admitted  the  seaman. 
"  But  look  here,  now,  doctor,"  he  added,  turning  to 
Sam  with  his  brow  knotted  up  into  an  agony  of 
mental  endeavour,  and  the  forefinger  of  one  hand 
thrust  into  the  palm  of  the  other, — "look  here. 
You  tells  me  that  electricity  ain't  a  substance  at  all." 

"  Yes,  that 's  so,"  assented  Sam  with  a  nod. 

"  Wery  good.  Now,  then,  if  it  ain't  a  substance 
at  all,  it's  nothiu'.  An'  if  it's  nothin',  how  can 
you  go  an'  talk  of  it  as  somethin'  an'  give  it  a  name, 
an'  tell  me  it  works  the  telegraph,  an'  does  all 
manner  of  wonderful  things  ?" 

"But  it  does  not  follow  that  a  thing  must  be 
nothing  because  it  isn't  a  substance.  Don't  you 
see,  man,  that  an  idea  is  something,  yet  it  is  not  a 
substance.  Thought,  which  is  so  potent  a  factor 
in  this  world,  is  not  a  substance,  yet  it  cannot  be 
called  nothing.  It  is  a  condition — it  is  the  result 
of  brain-atoms  in  action.  Electricity  is  sometimes 
described  as  an  '  invisible  imponderable  fluid,'  but 
that  is  not  quite  correct,  because  a  fluid  is  a  sub- 
stance.     It  is  a  better  definition  to  say  that  elec- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  24] 

tricity  is    a    manifestation   of  energy — a  result  oj 
substance  in  action." 

"  There,  I  'm  muddled  again  !"  said  Johnson,  with 
a  look  of  hopeless  incapacity. 

"  Small  blame  to  you,  Johnson,"  murmured  Shigg. 
who  had  done  his  best  to  understand,  while  Stumps 
sat  gazing  at  the  speakers  with  an  expression  of 
blank  complacency. 

"  Look  here,  Johnson,"  said  Sam,  "  you  've  often 
seen  men  shaking  a  carpet,  haven't  you  ?" 

"  In  coorse  I  have." 

"  Well,  have  you  not  observed  the  waves  of  the 
carpet  that  roll  along  it  when  shaken  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  have." 

"  What  are  these  waves  ? " 

"Well,  sir,  I  should  say  they  was  the  carpet," 
replied  Johnson. 

"No,  the  waves  are  not  the  carpet.  When  the 
waves  reach  the  end  of  the  carpet  they  disappear. 
If  the  waves  were  the  carpet,  the  carpet  would 
disappear.  The  same  waves  in  a  whip,  soft  and 
undulating  though  they  be,  result  in  a  loud  crack, 
as  you  know." 

"  Muddled  again,"  said  Johnson, 

"  Ditto,"  said  Slagg. 

"Why,  I'm  not  muddled  a  bit!"  suddenly  ex- 
claimed Stumps,  with  a  half-contemptuous  laugh. 

"  Of  coorse  you  're  not,"  retorted  Slagg.      "  Brain- 
Q 


242  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

less  things  never  git  into  that  state.  You  never 
heard  of  a  turnip  bein  muddled,  did  you  ?" 

Stumps  became  vacant,  and  Sam  went  on. 

"  Well,  you  see,  the  waves  are  not  substance. 
They  are  a  condition — a  result  of  aton^.s  in  motion. 
."N^ow,  when  the  atoms  of  a  substance  are  disturbed 
by  friction,  or  by  chemical  action,  they  get  into  a 
state  of  violent  commotion,  and  try  wildly  to  fly 
from,  or  to,  each  other.  This  effort  to  fly  about 
is  energy.  When  the  atoms  get  into  a  very  intense 
state  of  commotion  they  have  a  tendency  to  induce 
explosion, unless  a  way  of  escape  is  found — escape  for 
the  energy,  not  for  the  atoms.  Now,  when  you  cause 
chemical  disturbance  in  an  electric  battery,  the 
energy  thus  evolved  is  called  electricity,  and  we 
provide  a  conductor  of  escape  for  it  in  the  shape  of 
a  copper  or  other  metal  wire,  which  we  may  carry  to 
any  distance  we  please,  and  the  energy  runs  along  it, 
as  the  wave  runs  along  the  carpet,  as  long  as  you 
keep  up  the  commotion  in  the  battery  among  the 
excited  atoms  of  copper  and  zinc." 

"  Mud — no,  not  quite.,  I  have  got  a  glimmer  o' 
su'thin',"  said  Johnson. 

"  Ditto,"  said  Slagg. 

"  Supper,"  said  old  Meerta. 

"  Ha  I  that 's  the  battery  for  me,"  cried  Stumps, 
jumping  up. 

"Not   a    bad  one  either,"  said   Robin,  as    they 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  243 

entered  the  cave  ;  "  alternate  plates  of  beef  and 
greens,  steeped  in  some  such  acid  as  lemonade, 
cause  a  wonderful  commotion  in  the  atoms  of  the 
human  body." 

"  True,  Eobin,  and  the  energy  thereby  evolved," 
said  Sam,  "  sometimes  bursts  forth  in  brilliant 
sparks  of  wit — to  say  nothing  of  flaslies  of 
absurdity." 

"  An'  thunderin  stoopidity,"  added  Slagg. 

Further  converse  on  the  subject  was  checked  at 
that  time  by  what  Sam  termed  the  charging  of  the 
human  batteries.  The  evening  meal  went  on  in 
silence  and  very  pleasantly  for  some  time,  but 
before  its  close  it  was  interrupted  in  an  alarming 
manner  by  the  sudden  entrance  of  Letta  with  wild 
excitement  in  her  eyes. 

"  Oh!"  she  cried,  pointing  back  to  the  entrance  of 
the  cave,  "  a  ship  ! — pirate  ship  coming  ! " 

A  bombshell  could  scarcely  have  produced  greater 
effect.  Each  individual  leaped  up  and  darted  out, 
flushing  deep  red  or  turning  pale,  according  to 
temperament.  They  were  not  long  in  verifying 
the  statement.  A  ledge  of  rocks  concealed  the 
entrance  to  the  cavern  from  the  sea.  Over  its 
edge  could  be  seen  the  harbour  in  which  they  had 
found  the  vessel  whose  total  destruction  has  been 
described ;  and  there,  sure  enough,  they  beheld 
a  similar  vessel,  though  considerably   smaller,  in 


244  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  act  of  furling  her  sails  and  dropping  anchor. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  her  character,  for 
although  too  distant  to  admit  of  her  crew  being 
distinguished  by  star-light,  her  rig  and  general 
appearance  betrayed  her. 

"Not  a  moment  to  be  lost,  Eobin,"  said  Sam 
Shipton  hurriedly,  as  he  led  the  way  back  to  the 
cavern,  where  old  Meerta  and  blind  Bungo,  aided 
by  Letta,  had  already  cleared  away  all  evidence  of 
the  late  feast,. leaving  only  three  tin  cups  and  three 
pewter  plates  on  the  table,  with  viands  appropriate 
thereto. 

"  Ha !  you  're  a  knowing  old  lady,"  exclaimed 
Sam,  "  you  understand  how  to  help  us,  I  see." 

"  Me  tink  so  ! "  replied  Meerta,  with  an  intelli- 
gent nod.  "  On'y  us  free  here.  All  de  pyrits  gone 
away.  Dem  sinners  on'y  come  here  for  a  feed — 
p'r'aps  for  leetil  poodre.     Soon  go  away." 

"  Just  so,"  said  Sam,  "  meanwhile  we  will  hide, 
and  return  after  they  are  gone,  or,  better  still,  if 
you,  Letta,  and  Bungo  will  come  and  hide  with  us, 
I  '11  engage  to  lay  a  train  of  powder  from  the 
barrels  inside  to  somewhere  outside,  and  blow  the 
reptiles  and  the  whole  mountain  into  the  sea ! 
There  's  powder  enough  to  do  it." 

"You  tink  me  one  divl  ?"  demanded  the  old  woman 
indignantly.  "  No,  some  o'  dem  pyrits  not  so  bad  as 
each  oder.     You  let  'em  alone  ;  me  let  you  alone." 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  245 

This  gentle  intimation  that  Meerta  had  their 
lives  in  her  hand,  induced  Sam  to  ask  modestly 
what  she  would  have  him  do. 

"  Go,"  she  replied  promptly,  "  take  rifles,  swords, 
an'  poodre.  Hide  till  pyrits  go  'way.  If  de  finds 
you — fight.     Belter  fight  dan  be  skin  alive  ! " 

"  Unquestionably,"  said  Sam,  with  a  mingled 
laugh  and  shudder,  in  which  his  companions  joined 
— as  regards  the  shudder  at  least,  if  not  the  laugh. 

Acting  promptly  on  the  suggestion,  Sam  armed 
himself  and  his  comrades  each  with  a  good  breech- 
loading  rifle,  as  much  ammunition  as  he  could  con- 
veniently carry,  and  an  English  sword.  Then, 
descending  the  mountain  on  the  side  opposite  to 
the  harbour  they  disappeared  in  the  dark  and 
tangled  underwood  of  the  palm-grove.  Letta  went 
a  short  distance  with  them. 

"  They  won't  kill  Meerta  or  blind  Bungo,"  she 
said,  on  the  way  down.  "  They  're  too  useful, 
though  they  often  treat  them  badly.  Meerta  sent 
me  avvay  to  hide  here  the  last  time  the  strange 
bad  men  came.  She  thinks  I  go  hide  to-night,  but 
I  won't ;  so,  good-night." 

"  But  surely  you  don't  mean  to  put  yourself  in 
the  power  of  the  pirates  ?"  said  Eobin. 

"  No,  never  fear,"  returned  the  child  with  a 
laugh.  *'  I  know  how  to  see  them  without  they 
see  me.' 


246  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

Before  further  remonstrance  could  be  made,  the 
active  child  had  bounded  up  the  pathway  and  dis- 
appeared. 

Not  long  after  Sam  and  his  comrades  had  taken 
their  departure,  the  pirates  came  up  to  the  cavern 
in  a  body — about  forty  of  them — well  armed  and 
ready  to  fight  if  need  be.  They  were  as  rascally 
a  set  of  cut-throats  as  one  could  desire  to  see — 
or,  rather,  not  to  see — of  various  nationality,  with 
ugly  countenances  and  powerful  frames,  which 
were  clothed  in  more  or  less  fantastic  Eastern 
garb.  Their  language,  like  themselves,  was  mixed, 
and,  we  need  scarcely  add,  unrefined.  The  little 
that  was  interchanged  between  them  and  Meerta 
we  must,  however,  translate. 

"  What !  alive  still  I"  cried  the  ruffian,  who 
appeared  to  be  the  leader  of  the  band,  flinging  him- 
self down  on  a  couch  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
knew  the  place  well,  while  his  men  made  them- 
selves at  home. 

Meerta  merely  smiled  to  the  salutation  ;  that  is 
to  say,  she  grinned. 

"  Where  are  they  ?"  demanded  the  pirate-chief, 
referring  of  course  to  those  who,  the  reader  is 
aware,  were  blown  up. 

"  Gone  away,"  answered  Meerta. 

"  Far  away  ?"  asked  the  pirate. 

"  Yes,  very  far  away." 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  247 

"  Goin'  to  be  long  away  ?" 

"  Ho  !  yes,  very  long." 

"  Where's  the  little  girl  they  took  from  Sarawak  V 

"  Gone  away." 

"  Where  away  ?" 

"  Don't  know." 

"  Now,  look  here,  you  old  hag,"  said  the  pirate, 
drawing  a  pistol  from  his  belt  and  levelling  it, 
"  tell  the  truth  about  that  girl,  else  I  '11  scatter 
your  brains  on  the  floor.     Where  has  she  gone  to  ?" 

"  Don't  know,"  repeated  Meerta,  with  a  look  of 
calm  indifference,  as  she  took  up  a  tankard  and 
wiped  it  out  with  a  cloth. 

The  man  steadied  the  pistol  and  pressed  the 
trigger. 

"  You  better  wait  till  she  has  given  us  our  grub," 
quietly  suggested  one  of  the  men. 

The  leader  replaced  the  weapon  in  the  shawl 
which  formed  his  girdle,  and  said,  "  Get  it  ready 
quick — the  best  you  have,  and  bring  us  some  wine 
to  begin  with." 

Soon  after  that  our  friends,  while  conversing  in 
low  tones  in  the  grove,  heard  the  unmistakeable 
sounds  of  revelry  issue  from  the  cave. 

"  What  think  you,  boys,"  said  Sam  suddenly, 
"shall  we  go  round  to  the  harbour,  surprise  and  kill 
the  guard,  seize  the  pirate-ship,  up  anchor  and  leave 
these  villains  to  enjoy  themselves  as  best  they  may  ?" 


248  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  What  !  and  leave  Letta,  not  to  mention  Meerta 
and  Bungo,  behind  us?     Never"!" 

"  I  forgot  them  for  the  moment,"  said  Sam.  "  No^ 
we  can't  do  that." 

As  he  spoke  the  noise  of  revelry  became  louder 
and  degenerated  into  sounds  of  angry  disputation. 
Then  several  shots  were  heard,  followed  by  the 
clashing  of  steel  and  loud  yells. 

"  Surely  that  was  a  female  voice,"  said  Eobin, 
rising  and  rushing  up  the  steep  path  that  led  to  the 
cavern,  closely  followed  by  his  comrades. 

They  had  not  gone  a  hundred  yards  when  they 
were  arrested  by  hearing  a  rustling  in  the  bushes 
and  the  sound  of  hasty  footsteps.  Next  instant 
Letta  was  seen  running  towards  them,  with  glaring 
eyes  and  streaming  hair.  She  sprang  into  Eobin's 
arms  with  a  convulsive  sob,  and  hid  her  white  face 
on  his  breast. 

"  Speak,  Letta,  dear  child  !     Are  you  hurt  ?" 

"  No,  0  no ;  but  Meerta,  darling  Meerta,  she  is 
dead  !     They  have  shot  her  and  Bungo." 

She  burst  again  into  convulsive  sobbing. 

"  Dead  !  But  are  you  sure — quite  sure  ?  "  said 
Sam. 

"  Quite.  I  saw  their  brains  scattered  on  the 
wall.     Oh,  Meerta  !— " 

She  ended  in  a  low  wail,  as  though  her  heart 
were  broken. 


) 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  249 

"Isow,  boys,"  said  Johnson,  who  had  hitherto 
maintained  silence,  "  we  must  go  to  work  an'  try  to 
cut  out  the  pirate- ship.  It 's  a  good  chance,  and 
it 's  our  only  one." 

"  Yes,  there 's  nothing  to  prevent  us  trying  it  now," 
said  Eobin,  sadly,  "  and  the  sooner  the  better." 

"  Lucky  that  we  made  up  the  parcels  last  night, 
warn't  it?"  said  Jim  Slagg,  as  they  made  hasty 
arrangements  for  carrying  out  their  plan. 

Jim  referred  to  parcels  of  rare  and  costly  jewels 
which  each  of  them  had  selected  from  the  pirate 
store,  put  into  separate  bags  and  hid  away  in  the 
woods,  to  be  ready  in  case  of  any  sudden  occasion 
arising — such  as  had  now  actually  arisen — to  quit 
the  island.  Going  to  the  place  where  these  bags 
were  concealed,  they  slung  them  over  their  shoulders 
and  set  off  at  a  steady  run,  or  trot,  for  the  harbour, 
each  taking  his  turn  in  carrying  Letta,  for  the 
poor  child  was  not  fit  to  walk,  much  less  to 
run. 

Stealthy  though  their  movements  were,  however, 
they  did  not  altogether  escape  detection.  Two 
bright  eyes  had  been  watching  Letta  during  all  her 
wanderings  that  night,  and  two  nimble  feet  had 
followed  her  when  she  ran  affrighted  from  the 
pirates'  stronghold.  The  party  was  overtaken 
before  half  the  distance  to  the  harbour  had  been 
gained,  and  at  length,   with  a  cry  of  satisfaction. 


250  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Letta's  favourite — the  small  monkey — sprang  upon 
her  shoulder.  In  this  position,  refusing  to  move, 
he  was  carried  to  the  coast. 

As  had  been  anticipated,  the  pirate  vessel  was 
found  lying  in  the  pool  where  the  former  ship  had 
anchored.  Being  considerably  smaller,  however,  it 
had  been  drawn  close  to  the  rocks,  so  that  a  landing 
had  been  effected  by  means  of  a  broad  plard<:  or 
gangway  instead  of  a  boat.  Fortunately  for  our 
friends,  this  plank  had  not  been  removed  after  the 
pirates  had  left,  probably  because  they  deemed 
themselves  in  a  place  of  absolute  security.  As  far 
as  they  could  see,  only  one  sentinel  paced  the  deck. 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  the  guard  is  a  very  small 
one,"  whispered  Sam  to  Eobin,  as  they  crept  to  the 
edge  of  the  shrubs  which  lined  the  harbour,  and 
surveyed  their  intended  prize.  "  No  doubt  they 
expected  to  meet  only  with  friends  here — or  with 
nobody  at  all,  as  it  has  turned  out, — and  have  left 
just  enough  to  guard  their  poor  slaves." 

"We  shall  soon  find  out,"  returned  Sam.  "Now, 
boys,"  he  said,  on  rejoining  the  others  in  the  bush, 
"  see  that  your  revolvers  are  charged  and  handy, 
but  don't  use  them  if  you  can  avoid  it." 

"  A  cut  over  the  head  with  cold  steel  will  be 
sufficiently  effective,  for  we  have  no  desire  to  kill. 
Nevertheless,  don't  be  particular.  We  can't  afford 
to  measure  our  blows  with  such  scoundrels;  only  if 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  251 

we  fire  we  shall  alarm  those  in  the  cave,  and  have 
less  time  to  get  under  weigh." 

"  What  is  to  be  done  with  Letta  while  we  attack  ? " 
asked  Eobin. 

"  I  '11  wait  here  till  you  come  for  me,"  said  Letta, 
with  a  sad  little  smile  on  her  tear-bedewed  face ; 
"  I  'm  quite  used  to  see  fighting." 

"  Good,  keep  close,  and  don't  move  from  this  spot 
till  we  come  for  you,  my  little  heroine,"  said  Sam. 
"  Now,  boys,  follow  me  in  single  file — tread  like 
mice — don't  hurry.  There 's  nothing  like  keeping- 
cool." 

"Not  much  use  o'  saying  that  to  a  feller  that's 
red-hot,"  growled  Slagg,  as  he  stood  with  a  flushed 
face,  a  revolver  in  one  hand  and  a  cutlass  in  the 
other. 

Sam,  armed  similarly,  glided  to  the  extreme  verge 
of  the  bushes,  between  which  and  the  water  there 
was  a  space  of  about  thirty  yards.  With  a  quiet 
cat-like  run  he  crossed  this  space,  rushed  up  the 
plank  gangway,  and  leaped  upon  the  deck,  with  his 
comrades  close  at  his  heels.  The  sentinel  was  taken 
completely  by  surprise,  but  drew  his  sword  never- 
theless, and  sprang  at  Sam  with  a  shout. 

The  latter,  although  not  a  professional  warrior, 
had  been  taught  singlestick  at  school,  and  was  an 
expert  swordsman.  He  parried  the  pirate's  furious 
thrust,  and  gave  him  what  is  technically  termed  cut 


252  THE  BATTERY  aND  THE  BOILER. 

No.  1,  which  clove  his  turban  to  the  skull  and 
stretched  him  on  the  deck.  It  was  a  fortunate  cut, 
for  the  shout  had  brought  up  seven  pirates,  five 
from  below  and  two  from  the  fore-part  of  the  vessel, 
where  they  had  been  asleep  between  two  guns. 
With  these  his  comrades  were  now  engaged  in  mortal 
combat — three  of  them  having  simultaneously  at- 
tacked Johnson,  while  two  had  assailed  Jim  Slagg. 

When  Sam  turned  round  the  stout  sailor  had  cut 
down  one  of  his  foes,  but  the  other  two  would 
probably  have  proved  too  much  for  him  if  Sam  had 
not  instantly  engaged  one  of  them.  He  was  a 
powerful,  active  man,  so  that  for  nearly  a  minute 
they  cut  and  thrust  at  each  other  without  advantage 
to  either,  until  Sam  tried  a  feint  thrust,  which  he 
followed  up  with  a  tremendous  slash  at  the  head. 
It  took  effect,  and  set  him  free  to  aid  Slagg,  who 
was  at  the  moment  in  deadly  peril,  for  poor  Slagg 
was  no  swordsman,  and  had  hitherto  foiled  his  two 
antagonists  by  sheer  activity  and  the  fury  of  his 
assaults.  He  was  quite  collected,  however,  for, 
even  in  the  extremity  of  his  danger,  he  had  refrained 
from  using  his  revolver  lest  he  should  thereby  give 
the  alarm  to  the  pirates  on  land.  With  one  stroke 
Sam  disposed  of  one  of  the  scoundrels,  and  Slagg 
succeeded  in  cutting  down  the  other. 

Meanwhile  our  hero,  Eobin,  and  Stumps  had  at- 
tacked the  two  pirates  who  chanced  to  be  nearest  to 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  253 

tliem.  The  former  thought  of  Letta  and  her  wretched 
fate  if  this  assault  should  fail.  The  thought  filled 
his  little  body  with  such  a  gush  of  what  seemed  to 
him  like  electric  fire,  that  he  leaped  on  his  opponent 
with  the  fury  of  a  wild  cat,  and  bore  him  backward, 
so  that  he  stumbled  over  the  combings  of  a  hatch- 
way and  was  thrown  flat  on  the  deck — liors  de 
combat. 

But  Stumps  was  not  so  fortunate.  Slow  in  all 
his  movements,  and  not  too  courageous  in  spirit, 
he  gave  way  before  the  villain  who  assailed  him. 
It  was  not  indeed  much  to  his  discredit,  for  the 
man  was  much  larger,  as  well  as  more  active 
and  fierce,  than  himself.  A  cut  from  the  pirate's 
sword  quickly  laid  him  low,  and  his  antagonist 
instantly  turned  on  Robin.  He  was  so  near  at 
the  moment  that  neither  of  them  could  effectively 
use  his  weapon.  Eobin  therefore  dashed  the  hilt 
of  his  sword  into  the  man's  face  and  grappled 
with  him.  It  was  a  most  unequal  struggle,  for 
the  pirate  was,  as  we  have  said,  a  huge  fellow, 
while  Robin  was  small  and  slight.  But  there 
were  several  things  in  our  hero's  favour.  He  was 
exceedingly  tough  and  wonderfully  strong  for  his 
size,  besides  being  active  as  a  kitten  and  brave  as  a 
lion.  The  way  that  Robin  Wright  wriggled  in  that 
big  man's  embrace,  hammered  his  nose  and  eyes 
with  the  iron  hilt  of  his  cntlass,  stuck  his  knees 


254  TECE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

into  the  pit  of  his  stomach,  and  assaulted  his  shins 
with  the  toes  of  boots,  besides  twisting  his  left 
hand  into  his  hair  like  a  vice,  was  wonderful  to 
behold. 

It  was  all  Letta's  doing  !  The  more  hopeless  tho 
struggle  felt,  the  more  hapless  did  Letta's  fate 
appear  to  Eobin,  and  the  more  furious  did  the  spirit 
within  rise  above  its  disadvantaires.  In  the  whirl 
of  the  fight  the  pirate's  head  chanced  for  one 
moment  to  be  in  proximity  to  a  large  iron  block. 
Eobin  observed  it,  threw  all  his  soul  and  body 
into  one  supreme  effort,  and  launched  his  foe  and 
himself  against  the  block.  Both  heads  met  it  at 
the  same  moment,  and  the  combatants  rolled  from 
each  other's  grasp.  The  pirate  was  rendered  in- 
sensible, but  Eobin,  probably  because  of  being 
lighter,  was  only  a  little  stunned. 

Eecovering  in  a  moment  he  sprang  up,  glanced 
round,  observed  that  the  pirates  were  almost,  if  not 
quite  overpowered,  and  leaped  over  the  bulwarks. 
A  few  moments  later  and  he  had  Letta  in  his  arms. 
Just  then  a  pistol  shot  rang  in  the  night  air.  The 
last  of  the  pirates  who  was  overpowered  chanced 
to  use  his  fire-arm,  though  without  success.  It  was 
fortunate  the  fight  was  over,  for,  now  that  the 
alarm  had  been  given,  they  knew  that  their  chance 
of  escaping  was  greatly  lessened. 

"  Cut  the  cable,  Slagg.      Out  with  a  boat-hook, 


ROBIN  RESCUES  LETTA— Page  255. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  255 

Johnson,  ready  to  shove  off.  1 11  fetch  Letta," 
cried  Sam,  springing  to  the  side. 

He  was  almost  run  down,  as  he  spoke,  by  Kobin 
with  the  child  in  his  arms. 

"  Ha  !  Eobin — well  done,  my  boy.  Here,  Letta, 
you  understand  the  language,  tell  the  slaves  below 
to  out  oars  and  pull  for  their  lives.  It 's  their 
only  chance." 

The  poor  creatures,  who  were  bound  to  the 
thwarts  below  deck,  had  been  listening  with  dull 
surprise  to  the  iighting  on  deck — not  that  fighting 
was  by  any  means  unusual  in  that  vessel,  but  they 
must  have  known  that  they  were  in  harbour,  and 
that  the  main  body  of  the  pirates  were  on  shore. 
Still  greater  was  their  surprise  when  they  received 
the  above  order  in  the  sweet  gentle  tones  of  a 
child's  voice. 

Whether  they  deemed  her  an  angel  or  not  we 
cannot  tell,  but  their  belief  in  her  right  to  com- 
mand was  evinced  by  their  shoving  the  oars  out 
with  alacrity. 

A  few  seconds  sufficed  to  cut  the  cable,  and  the 
gangway  fell  into  the  sea  with  a  loud  splash  as  the 
vessel  moved  slowly  from  the  land,  while  Johnson, 
Eobin,  and  Slagg  thrust  with  might  and  main 
at  the  boat-hooks.  The  oars  could  not  be  dipped 
or  used  until  the  vessel  had  been  separated  a  few 
yards  from  the  land,  and  it  was  during  the  delay 


256  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 


caused  by  this  operation  that  their  greatest  danger 
lay,  for  already  the  pirates  were  heard  calling  to 
each  other  among  the  cliffs. 

"  Pull,  pull  now  for  life,  boys,"  shouted  Sam  as 
he  seized  the  helm. 

"  Pull,  pull  now  for  life,  boys,"  echoed  the 
faithful  translator  in  her  silvery  tones. 

The  oars  dipped  and  gurgled  through  the  water. 
There  was  no  question  as  to  the  energy  of  the  poor 
captives,  but  the  vessel  was  heavy  and  sluggish  at 
starting.  She  had  barely  got  a  couple  of  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore,  when  the  pirates  from  the 
cavern  came  running  tumultuously  out  of  the  woods. 
Perceiving  at  once  that  their  vessel  had  been 
captured,  they  rushed  into  the  water  and  swam 
off,  each  man  with  his  sword  between  his  teeth. 

They  were  resolute  villains,  and  swam  vigorously 
and  fast.  Sam  knew  that  if  such  a  swarm  should 
gain  the  side  of  the  vessel,  no  amount  of  personal 
valour  could  prevent  recapture.  He  therefore 
encouraged  the  slaves  to  redoubled  effort.  These 
responded  to  the  silvery  echo,  but  so  short  had  been 
the  distance  gained  that  the  issue  seemed  doubtful. 

"  Give  'em  a  few  shots,  boys,"  cried  Sam,  drawing 
his  own  revolver  and  firing  back  over  the  stern. 
The  others  followed  his  example  and  discharged 
all  their  revolvers,  but  without  apparent  effect,  for 
the  pirates  still  came  on. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  257 

One  of  the  sails  had  fortunately  been  left  un- 
furled. At  this  moment  a  light  puff  of  air  from  the 
land  bulged  it  out,  and  sensibly  increased  their 
speed. 

"Hurrah!"  shouted  Johnson,  "lend  a  hand,  boys, 
to  haul  taut." 

The  sail  was  trimmed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
vessel  glided  quickly  away  from  her  pursuers. 

A'  loud  British  cheer  announced  the  fact  alike  to 
pirates  and  slaves,  so  that  the  latter  were  heartened 
to  greater  exertion,  while  the  former  were  dis- 
couraged.  In  a  few  minutes  they  gave  up  the  chase 
with  a  yell  of  rage,  and  turned  to  swim  for  the 
shore. 

About  a  hundred  yards  from  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour  there  lay  a  small  islet — a  mere  rock.  Here 
Sam  resolved  to  leave  the  pirate  guard,  none  of 
whom  had  been  quite  killed — indeed  two  of  them 
had  tried  unsuccessfully  to  rise  during  the  fight. 

"  You  see,"  said  Sam,  as  he  steered  for  the  rock, 
"  we  don't  want  to  have  either  the  doctoring  or  the 
killing  of  such  scoundrels.  They  will  be  much 
better  with  their  friends,  who  will  be  sure  to  swim 
off  for  them — perhaps  use  our  raft  for  the  purpose, 
which  they  will  likely  find,  sooner  or  later," 

They  soon  ranged  up  alongside  of  the  island,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  the  bodies  of  the  pirates  were 
landed  and  laid  there  side  by  side.     While  they 


258       THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER 

were  being  laid  down,  the  man  who  had  fought  with 
Eobin  made  a  sudden  and  furious  grasp  at  John- 
son's throat  with  one  hand,  and  at  his  knife  with 
the  other,  but  the  seaman  was  too  quick  for  him. 
He  felled  him  with  a  blow  of  his  fist.  The  others, 
although  still  alive,  were  unable  to  show  fight. 

TJien,  hoisting  the  mainsail,  and  directing  their 
course  to  the  northward,  our  adventurers  slipped 
quietly  over  the  sea,  and  soon  left  Pirate  Island  far 
out  of  si^ht  behind  tlieni. 


THE  BATTEllY  AND  THE  BOILER.  259 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  PIRATE  ISLAND  AND  HOPEFUL  NEWS  AT  SARAWAK. 

The  vessel  of  which  Eobin  and  his  friends  had. 
thus  become  possessed,  was  one  of  those  numerous 
native  pirate  ships  which  did,  and  we  believe  still 
do,  infest  some  parts  of  the  Malay  Archipelago — 
ships  which  can  assume  the  form  and  do  the  work 
of  simple  trading  vessels  when  convenience  requires, 
or  can  hoist  the  black  flag  when  circumstances 
favour.  It  was  not  laden  with  anything  valuable 
at  the  time  of  its  capture.  The  slaves  who  wrought 
at  the  oars  when  wind  failed,  were  wretched 
creatures  who  had  been  captured  among  the  various 
islands,  and  many  of  them  were  in  the  last  stage  of 
exhaustion,  having  been  worked  almost  to  death  by 
their  inhuman  captors,  though  a  good  many  were 
still  robust  and  fresh. 

These  latter  it  was  resolved  to  keep  still  in  fetters, 
as  it  was  just  possible  that  some  of  them,  if  freed, 
might  take  a  fancy  to  seize  the  ship  and  become 
pirates  on  their  own  account.     They  were  treated 


260  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

as  well  as  circumstances  would  admit  of,  however, 
and  given  to  understand  that  they  should  be  landed 
and  set  free  as  soon  as  possible.  Meanwhile,  no 
more  work  would  be  required  of  them  than  was 
absolutely  necessary.  Those  of  them  who  were  ill 
were  freed  at  once  from  toil,  carefully  nursed  by 
Letta  and  doctored  by  Sam. 

At  first  Eobin  and  his  comrades  sailed  away 
without  any  definite  purpose  in  view,  but  after 
things  had  been  got  into  order,  a  council  was  held 
and  plans  were  discussed.  It  was  then  that 
Letta  mentioned  what  the  pirates  in  the  cavern 
had  said  about  her  having  been  taken  from 
Sarawak. 

"Sarawak!"  exclaimed  Eobin,  "why,  that's  the 
place  that  has  been  owned  and  governed  for  many 
years  by  an  Englishman  named  Brooke — Sir  James 
Brooke,  if  I  remember  rightly,  and  they  call  himEajah 
Brooke.     Perhaps  your  mother  lives  there,  Letta." 

"  Where  is  Sarawak  ?"  asked  Stumps,  whose  in- 
juries in  the  recent  fight  were  not  so  severe  as  had 
at  first  been  supposed. 

"  It 's  in  the  island  of  Borneo,"  replied  Sam  ; 
"  you  're  right,  Eobin — " 

"  No,  he 's  Eobin  Wright,"  interrupted  Slagg. 

"  Be  quiet,  Jim.  I  think  it  is  highly  probable 
that  your  parents  are  there,  Letta,  and  as  we  have 
no  particular  reason  for  going  anywhere  else,  and 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  261 

can't  hope  to  make  for  England  in  a  tub  like  this, 
we  will  just  lay  her  head  for  Sarawak." 

This  was  accordingly  done,  their  new  course  being 
nor'-east  and  by  east.  •• 

It  would  extend  our  tale  to  undue  proportions 
were  we  to  give  in  detail  all  the  adventures  they 
experienced,  dangers  they  encountered,  and  hair- 
breadth escapes  they  made,  between  that  point  on 
the  wide  southern  ocean  and  the  Malay  Archipelago. 
The  reader  must  be  content  to  skip  over  the  voyage, 
and  to  know  that  they  ultimately  arrived  at  the 
port  of  Sarawak,  where  they  were  kindly  treated  by 
a  deputy,  the  Eajah  himself  being  absent  at  the 
time. 

During  the  voyage,  the  subject  of  finding  Letta's 
parents  became  one  of  engrossing  and  increasing 
interest, — so  much  so,  indeed,  that  even  electricity 
and  telegraph-cables  sank  into  secondary  importance. 
They  planned,  over  and  over  again,  the  way  in  which 
they  would  set  about  making  inquiries,  and  the 
various  methods  which  they  would  adopt  in  pursuit 
of  their  end.  They  even  took  to  guessing  who 
Letta's  parents  would  turn  out  to  be,  and  Sam  went 
so  far  as  to  invent  and  relate  romantic  stories,  in 
which  the  father  and  mother  of  Letta  played  a  con- 
spicuous part.  He  called  them  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Montmorenci  for  convenience,  which  Slagg  reduced 
to  Col.  and  Mrs.  Monty  "  for  short." 


262  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

In  all  this  Letta  took  great  delight,  chiefly  be- 
cause it  held  the  conversation  on  that  source  of 
undying  interest,  "mamma/'  and  partly  because 
she  entered  into  the  fun  and  enjoyed  the  romance 
of  the  thing,  while,  poor  child,  her  hopeful  spirit 
never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  in  some  form 
or  other  the  romance  would  become  a  reality 
through  Eobin,  on  whom  she  had  bestowed  her 
highest  affections — next,  of  course,  to  mamma. 

On  landing  at  Sarawak,  Sam  Shipton  went  direct 
to  the  Government  offices  to  report  the  capture  of 
the  pirate  vessel  and  to  make  inquiries  as  to  Letta's 
parents,  leaving  Eobin  and  the  others  to  watch  the 
vessel. 

"  Isn't  it  strange,"  said  John  Johnson  to  Eobin, 
as  they  leaned  over  the  side  and  looked  down 
into  the  clear  water,  "that  a  Englishman  should 
become  a  Eajah,  and  get  possession  o'  this  here 
country  ?" 

"  I  can  give  you  only  a  slight  reply  to  that  ques- 
tion," replied  Eobin,  "  but  Sam  will  enlighten  you 
more  than  I  can ;  he  seems  to  be  acquainted  with 
the  Eajah's  strange  career.  All  I  know  is,  that  he 
is  said  to  govern  the  country  well." 

"  Coorious,"  said  Johnson  ;  "  /  shouldn't  like  to 
settle  down  in  sitch  a  nest  o'  pirates.  Hows'ever, 
every  man  to  his  taste,  as  Jack  said  when  the  shark 
swallowed  his  sou'wester.     D'ee  think  it's  likely 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  263 

sir,  that  wc  '11  tind  out  who  the  parents  o'  poor  Miss 
Letta  is?" 

Eobin  shook  his  head.  "  I  'm  not  very  hopeful. 
We  have  so  little  information  to  go  upon — ^just  one 
word, — Sarawak!  Nevertheless,  I  don't  despair,  and 
I  '11  certainly  not  be  beat  without  trying  hard.  But 
here  comes  Sam ;  he  looks  pleased.  I  think — I 
hope,  he  has  good  news  for  us." 

"  I  've  got  something,  but  not  much,"  replied  Sam 
to  the  eager  inquiries  with  which  he  was  assailed. 
"  The  gentleman  whom  I  saw  knew  nothing  about 
a  little  girl  having  been  kidnapped  from  this  region 
within  the  last  two  or  three  years,  but  an  old  clerk 
or  secretary,  who  heard  us  talking  about  it,  came  up 
scratching  his  nose  with  the  feather  of  his  quill,  and 
humbly  said  that  he  had  heard  something  about  a 
girl  disappearing  at  a  fire  somewhere,  though  he 
couldn't  recollect  the  name  of  the  place,  as  he  was 
ill  at  the  time,  besides  being  new  to  the  country, 
but  he  thought  there  was  a  Malay,  a  drunken 
old  fellow,  living  some  five  miles  inland,  who  used 
to  talk  about  something  of  the  sort,  and  who  had,  he 
fancied,  been  in  the  service  of  the  people  whose 
house  had  been  burned.  But,  altogether,  he  was 
very  hazy  on  the  subject. 

"  Then  we  must  go  and  ferret  out  this  old  man 
instantly,"  said  Eobin,  buttoning  up  his  coat,  as  if 
about  to  commence  the  journey  at  once. 


264  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"Too  late  to-night,  Eobin,"  said  Sam;  "restrain 
your  impatience,  my  boy.  You  forget  that  it  some- 
times gets  dark  in  these  latitudes,  and  that  there 
are  no  street  lamps  on  the  country  roads." 

"  True,  true,  Sam.  And  what  said  they  about  our 
capture  ?" 

"  That  we  must  leave  it  in  their  hands  at 
present ;  that  they  did  not  know  exactly  what  the 
Eajah  might  have  to  say  about  it,  but  that  he 
would  be  there  himself  in  a  few  weeks,  and  decide 
the  matter." 

"  Ton  my  word  that 's  cool,"  said  Slagg,  who 
came  up  at  the  moment ;  "  an'  suppose  we  wants  to 
continue  our  vyage  to  England,  or  Indy,  or  Chiny  ?" 

"  If  we  do  we  must  continue  it  by  swimming," 
returned  Sam  ;  "  but  it  matters  little,  for  there  is  a 
steamer  expected  to  touch  here  in  a  few  days  on 
her  way  to  India,  so  we  can  take  passage  in  her, 
having  plenty  of  funds — thanks  to  the  pirates  ! " 

"  It 's  all  very  well  for  you  to  boast  of  bein' 
rich,"  growled  Stumps,  "but  /  won't  be  able  to 
afford  it." 

"  Oh !  yes  you  will,"  returned  Eobin  with  a 
laugh.  "  The  Jews  will  advance  you  enough  on 
your  jewellery  to  pay  your  passage." 

"  Sarves  yau  right  for  bein'  so  greedy,"  said 
Slagg. 

The  greed  which  Slagg  referred  to  had  been  dis- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  265 

played  by  Stumps  at  the  time  the  parcels  of  coin 
aud  precious  stones  were  made  up  in  the  cavern  for 
sudden  emergency,  as  before  mentioned.  On  that 
occasion  each  man  had  made  up  his  own  parcel, 
'  selecting  such  gems,  trinkets,  and  coin  from  the 
pirate  horde  as  suited  his  fancy.  Unfortunately, 
the  sight  of  so  much  wealth  had  roused  in  the  heart 
of  Stumps  feelings  of  avarice,  which  heretofore  had 
lain  dormant,  and  he  stuffed  many  glittering  and 
su])erb  pieces  of  jewellery  into  his  bag  in  a  secre- 
tive manner,  as  if  half  ashamed  of  his  new  sensa- 
tions, and  half  afraid  that  his  right  to  them  might 
be  disputed. 

Afterwards,  on  the  voyage  to  Borneo,  when  the 
bags  were  emptied  and  their  costly  contents  ex- 
amined, it  was  discovered  that  many  of  Stumps's 
most  glittering  gems  were  mere  paste — almost 
worthless — although  some  of  them,  of  course,  were 
valuable.  Stumps  was  much  laughed  at,  and  in  a 
private  confabulation  of  his  comrades,  it  was  agreed 
that  they  would  punish  him  by  contrasting  their 
own  riches  with  his  glittering  trash,  but  that  at 
last  they  would  give  him  a  share  which  would 
make  all  the  bags  equal.  This  deceptive  treatment, 
however,  wrought  more  severely  on  Stumps  than 
they  had  expected,  and  roused  not  only  jealous  but 
revengeful  feelings  in  his  breast. 

Next  morning,  Sam  and  Eobin  set  off  with  Letta 


266  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

to  search  for  the  old  Malay,  leaving  their  comrades 
in  charge  of  the  vessel. 

There  is  something  inexpressibly  delightful  to  the 
feelings  in  passing  through  the  glades  and  thickets 
of  tropical  forests  and  plantations  after  a  long  sea 
voyage.  The  nostrils  seem  to  have  been  specially 
prepared,  by  long  abstinence  from  sweet  smells,  to 
appreciate  the  scents  and  odours  of  aromatic  plants 
and  flowers.  The  soft  shade  of  foliage,  the  refresh- 
ing green,  and  the  gay  colours  everywhere,  fill  the 
eye  with  pleasure,  not  less  exquisite  than  that 
which  fills  the  ears  from  the  warblings  and  chat- 
terings  of  birds,  the  gentle  tones  of  domestic 
animals,  and  the  tinkling  of  rills.  The  mere 
solidity  of  the  land,  under  foot,  forms  an  ele- 
ment of  pleasure  after  the  tossings  of  the  restless 
sea,  and  all  the  sweet  influences  put  together  tend 
to  rouse  in  the  heart  a  shout  of  joy  and  deep 
gratitude  for  a  world  so  beautiful,  and  for  powers 
so  sensitively  capable  of  enjoying  it. 

Especially  powerful  were  the  surrounding  influ- 
ences on  our  three  friends  as  they  proceeded,  mile 
after  mile,  into  the  country,  and  little  wonder,  for 
eyes,  and  nostrils,  and  ears,  which  had  of  late  drunk 
only  of  the  blue  heavens  and  salt  sea  and  the 
music  of  the  wind,  naturally  gloated  over  a  land 
which  produces  sandal-wood,  cinnamon,  turmeric, 
ginger,   benzoin,   camphor,  nutmeg,  and  a  host  of 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  267 

other  gums  and  spices ;  a  land  whose  shades  are 
created  by  cocoa-nut  palms,  ebony,  banana,  bread- 
fruit, gutta-percha,  upas,  sesamum,  and  a  vast 
variety  of  other  trees  and  shrubs,  the  branches 
of  which  are  laden  with  fruits,  and  flowers,  and 
paroquets,  and  monkeys. 

Little  Letta's  heart  was  full  to  overflowing,  so 
much  so  that  she  could  scarcely  speak  while  walk- 
ing along  holding  Eobin's  hand.  But  there  was 
more  than  mere  emotion  in  her  bosom — memory 
was  strangely  busy  in  her  brain,  puzzling  her  with 
dreamy  recognitions  both  as  to  sights  and  sounds. 

"  It  *s  so  like  home  !"  she  murmured  once,  looking 
eagerly  round. 

"  Is  it  ?"  said  Eobin  with  intense  interest,  "  Look 
hard  at  it,  little  one ;  do  you  recognise  any  object 
that  used  to  be  in  your  old  home  ? " 

The  child  shook  her  head  sadly.  "  No,  not 
exactly — everything  is  so  like,  and — and  yet  not 
like,  somehow." 

They  came  just  then  upon  a  clearing  among 
sugar-cane,  in  the  midst  of  which  stood  a  half- 
ruined  hut,  quite  open  in  front  and  thatched  with 
broad  leaves.  On  a  bench  near  the  entrance  was 
seated  an  old  grey-haired  Malay  man  with  a  bottle 
beside  him.  Nearer  to  the  visitors  a  young  girl 
was  digging  in  the  ground. 

"  That 's  the  old  Malay,  for  certain,"  said  Sam ; 


268  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  see,  the  old  rascal  has  gone  pretty  deep  already 
into  the  bottle.  Ask  the  girl,  Letta,  what  his 
name  is." 

Sam  did  not  at  first  observe  that  the  child  was 
trembling  very  much  and  gazing  eagerly  at  the  old 
man.  He  had  to  repeat  the  question  twice  before 
she  understood  him,  and  then  she  asked  the  girl 
without  taking  her  eyes  off  the  old  man. 

"Who  is  he?"  responded  the  girl  in  the  Malay 
tongue,  "why,  that's  old  Georgie — drunken  Georgie," 

She  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  when  Letta 
uttered  a  wild  cry,  ran  to  the  old  man,  leaped  into 
his  arms,  and  hugged  him  violently. 

The  man  was  not  only  surprised  but  agitated. 
He  loosened  the  child's  hold  so  as  to  be  able  to  look 
at  her  face. 

"  Oh,  Georgie,  Georgie  !"  she  cried  almost  hysteri- 
cally, "  don't  you  know  me — don't  you  know 
Letta  ?" 

Georgie  replied  by  uttering  a  great  shout  of 
mingled  astonishment  and  joy,  as  he  clasped  the 
child  in  his  arms.  Then,  setting  her  down  and 
holding  her  at  arm's  length,  he  cried  in  remarkably 
broken  English — 

"  Know  you !  Wat  ?  Yous  hold  nuss — hold 
Georgie — not  know  Miss  Letty.  Ho!  Miss  Letty! 
my  hold  'art 's  a-busted  a'most  !  But  j^ou's  come 
back.     T'ank  de  Lor' !     Look  'ere.  Miss  Letty.    (He 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER,  269 

started  up,  put  the  child  down,  and,  with  sudden 
energy  seized  the  bottle  of  rum  by  the  neck.)  Look 
'ere,  yous  oftin  say  to  me  afore  you  goed  away, 
'  Geo'gie,  do,  do  give  up  d'inkin',' — you  'members  ? " 

"  No,  I  don't  remember,"  said  Letta,  smiling 
through  her  tears. 

"  Ho  !  yes,  but  you  said  it — bery  oftin,  an'  me 
was  used  to  say,  '  Yes  Miss  Letty' — de  hold  hipper- 
crit ! — but  I  didn't  gib  'im  up.  I  d'ink  away  wuss 
dan  ebber.  But  now — but  now — but  now  (he 
danced  round,  each  time  whirling  the  bottle  above 
his  head),  me  d'ink  no  more — nebber — nebber — 
Tiebber  more  !" 

With  a  mighty  swing  the  old  man  sent  the  rum- 
bottle,  like  a  rocket,  up  among  the  branches  of  an 
ebony-tree,  where  it  was  shattered  to  atoms,  and 
threw  an  eaves-dropping  monkey  almost  into  fits  by 
raining  rum  and  broken  glass  upon  its  inquisitive 
head. 

When  the  excitement  of  the  meeting  had  some- 
what subsided,  Letta  suddenly  said,  "  But  where  is 
mamma  ?     Oh  !  take  me  to  mamma,  Georgie." 

The  old  man's  joy  instantly  vanished,  and  Letta 
stood  pale  and  trembling  before  him,  pressing  her 
little  hands  to  her  breast,  and  not  daring,  appar- 
ently, to  ask  another  question. 

"  Not  dead  ? "  she  said  at  length  in  a  low 
whisper. 


270  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  No — no — Miss  Letty,"  replied  the  man  hastily, 
"  Ho  !  no,  not  dead,  but  goed  away  ;  nigh  broked 
her  heart  when  she  losted  you ;  git  berry  sick ; 
fought  she  was  go  for  die,  but  she  no  die.  She 
jis  turn  de  corner  and  come  round,  an'  when  she 
git  bedder  she  goed  away." 

"  Where  did  she  go  to?"  asked  Robin,  anxiou.^ily. 

"To  Bumby,"  said  old  George. 

"To  where?" 

"  Bumby." 

"I  suppose  you  mean  Bombay?"  said  Sam. 

"  Yes,  yes — an'  me  say  Bumby." 

"  Is  she  alive  and  well  ? "  asked  Robin. 

"  Don'  know,"  replied  old  George,  shaking  his 
head ;  "  she  no  write  to  hold  Geo'gie.  Nigh  two 
hears  since  she  goed  away." 

When  the  excitement  of  this  meeting  began  to 
subside,  Sam  Shipton  took  the  old  Malay  aside, 
and,  after  prolonged  conversation,  learned  from 
him  the  story,  of  which  the  following  is  the 
substance. 

Mrs.  Langley  was  the  widow  of  a  gentleman  who 
had  died  in  the  service  of  Rajah  Brooke.  Several 
years  before — he  could  not  say  exactly  how  many 
— the  widow  had  retired  with  her  only  child,  I^etta, 
to  a  little  bungalow  on  a  somewhat  out-of-the-^vay 
part  of  the  coast  which  Mr.  Langley  used  to  be  fond 
of  going  to,  and  called  his  "  shooting-box."    This  had 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  271 

been  attacked  one  night  by  Labuan  pirates,  wlio, 
after  taking  all  that  was  valuable,  set  fire  to  the 
house.  Mrs.  Langley  had  escaped  by  a  back  door 
into  the  woods  with  her  old  man-servant,  George. 
She  had  rushed  at  the  first  alarm  to  Letta's  bed,  but 
the  child  was  not  there.  Letta  had  been  awake, 
had  heard  the  advance  of  the  pirate  crew,  and  had 
gone  into  a  front  room  to  see  who  was  coming. 
Supposing  that  old  George  must  have  taken  charge 
of  the  child,  and  hearing  him  calling  to  her  to 
come  away  quickly,  the  widow  ran  out  at  the  back 
door  as  the  pirates  entered  by  the  front.  Too  late 
she  found  that  George  had  not  the  child,  and  she 
would  have  returned  to  the  house,  regardless  of 
consequences,  if  George  had  not  forcibly  restrained 
her.  When  George  returned  at  daybreak,  he  found 
the  house  a  smouldering  ruin,  the  pirates  gone,  and 
Letta  nowhere  to  be  found. 

The  shock  threw  Mrs.  Langley  into  a  violent 
fever.  She  even  lost  her  reason  for  a  time,  and 
when  at  last  she  was  restored  to  some  degree  of 
health,  she  went  away  to  Bombay  without  saying 
to  any  one  what  were  her  intentions.  She  could 
never  entirely  forgive  old  George  for  having  pre- 
vented her  returning  to  the  house  to  share  the  fate 
of  her  child,  and  left  Sarawak  without  bidding  him 
farewell,  though,  as  old  George  himself  pathetically 
remarked,   "Me  couldn't  'elp  it,  you  knows.     De 


272  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

scoundrils  kill  missis  if  she  goed  back,  an'  dat  doos 
no  good  to  Miss  Letty." 

This  was  all  the  information  that  could  be 
obtained  about  Mrs.  Langley,  and  on  the  strength 
of  it  Sam  and  Eobin  resolved  to  proceed  to  Bombay 
by  the  first  opportunity.  But  their  patience  was 
severely  tried,  for  many  months  elapsed  ere  they 
obtained  berths  in  a  vessel  bound  direct  to  Bombay. 

Of  course  Jim  Slagg  determined  to  go  with  them, 
and  so  did  Stumps,  though  a  slight  feeling  of  cold- 
ness had  begun  to  manifest  itself  in  that  worthy's 
manner  ever  since  the  episode  of  the  division  of 
jewels.  John  Johnson,  however,  made  up  his  mind 
to  take  service  with  the  Eajah,  and  help  to  exter- 
minate the  nests  of  pirates  with  which  those  seas 
were  infested. 

"  Depend  upon  it,  sir,"  said  Johnson  to  Eobin  at 
parting,  "  that  you  '11  turn  out  sometliin'  or  other 
afore  long.  As  I  said  to  our  stooard  on  the  night 
that  you  was  born,  '  Stooard,'  says  I,  '  take  my  word 
for  it,  that  there  babby  what  has  just  been  launched 
ain't  agoin'  under  hatches  without  makin'  his  mark 
somehow  an'  somewheres,'  an'  you've  begun  to 
make  it,  sir,  a' ready,  an'  you  '11  go  on  to  make  it,  as 
sure  as  my  name's  John  Johnson." 

"  I  'm  gratified  by  your  good  opinion,"  replied 
Eobin,  with  a  laugh.  "  All  I  can  say  is,  that  what- 
ever mark  I  make,  I  hope  may  be  a  good  one." 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  COILEE.  273 

Poor  Eobin  had  little  ambition  at  that  time  to 
make  any  kind  of  mark  for  himself  on  the  world. 
His  one  desire — which  had  grown  into  a  sort  of 
passion — was  to  find  Letta's  mother.  Nearly  all 
his  thoughts  were  concentrated  on  that  point,  and 
so  great  was  his  personal  influence  on  his  comrades, 
that  Sam  and  Slagg  had  become  almost  as  enthusi- 
astic about  it  as  himself,  though  Stumps  remained 
comparatively  indifferent. 


274  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

BOMBAY — WHERE  STUMPS  COMES  TO  GRIEF 

Once  again  we  must  beg  the  patient  reader  to 
skip  with  us  over  time  and  space,  until  we  find 
ourselves  in  the  great  city  of  Bombay. 

It .  is  a  great  day  for  Bombay.  Natives  and 
Europeans  alike  are  unusually  excited.  Something 
of  an  unwonted  nature  is  evidently  astir.  Down 
at  the  sea  the  cause  of  the  excitement  is  explained, 
for  the  Great  Eastern  steamship  has  just  arrived, 
laden  with  the  telegraph  cable  which  is  to  connect 
England  with  her  possessions  in  the  East.  The 
streets  and  quays  are  crowded  with  the  men  of 
many  nations  and  various  creeds,  to  say  nothing  of 
varied  costume.  Turbans  and  chimney-pots  salaam 
to  each  other,  and  fezes  nod  to  straw  hats  and 
wide-awakes.  Every  one  is  more  than  usually 
sympathetic,  for  all  have  their  minds,  eyes,  and 
hopes,  more  or  less,  centred  on  the  "  big  ship,"  with 
her  unique  and  precious  cargo. 

But  it  is  with  neither  the  Great  Eastern  nor  the 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  275 

people — not  even  with  the  cable — that  we  have  to 
do  just  now.  Eemoving  our  eyes  from  such,  we 
fix  them  and  our  attention  on  a  very  small  steamer 
which  lies  alongside  one  of  the  wharves,  and  shows 
evidence  of  having  been  severely  handled  by  winds 
and  waves. 

At  the  time  we  direct  attention  to  her,  a  few 
passengers  were  landing  from  this  vessel,  and 
among  them  were  our  friends,  Sam  Shipton,  Eobin 
Wright,  Jim  Slagg,  John  Shanks,  alias  Stumps, 
and  Letta  Langley.  Most  of  the  passengers  had 
luggage  of  some  sort,  but  our  friends  possessed  only 
a  small  bag  each,  slung  over  their  shoulders.  A 
letter  from  the  authorities  of  Sarawak  certified  that 
they  were  honest  men. 

"  Now,  Eobin,"  said  Sam,  as  they  pushed  through 
the  crowds,  "there  seems  to  me  something  auspicious 
in  our  arriving  about  the  same  time  with  the  Great 
Eastern,  and  I  hope  something  may  come  of  it,  but 
our  first  business  is  to  make  inquiries  for  Mrs. 
Langley.  We  will  therefore  go  and  find  the  hotel 
to  which  we  have  been  recommended,  and  make 
that  our  headquarters  while  we  are  engaged  in  our 
search." 

"Can  I  lend  you  a  hand,  Mr.  Shipton?"  asked 
Slagg,  who  had  become,  as  it  were,  irresistibly  more 
respectful  to  Eobin  and  Sam  since  coming  among 
civilised  people. 


276  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOITxER. 

"  No,  Slagg  ;  our  mission  is  too  delicate  to  admit 
of  numbers.  If  we  require  your  services  we  '11  let 
you  know." 

"  Ah  !  I  see — too  many  cooks  apt  to  spoil  the 
broth.  Well,  my  mission  will  be  to  loaf  about  and 
see  Bombay.    You  and  I  will  pull  together,  Stumps." 

"  No,"  said  Stumps,  to  the  surprise  of  his  com- 
panions, "  I  've  got  a  private  mission  of  my  own — 
at  least  for  this  evening." 

"  Well,  please  yourself,  Stumpy,"  said  Slagg  with 
a  good-humoured  laugh,  "you  never  was  the  best 
o'  company,  so  I  won't  break  my  heart." 

At  the  hotel  to  which  they  had  been  recom- 
mended two  rooms  were  engaged, — a  small  single 
room  for  Letta,  and  one  with  two  beds  and  a  sofa 
for  themselves. 

Having  breakfasted  and  commended  Letta  to  the 
landlady's  care,  Sam  and  Eobin  sallied  forth  to- 
gether, while  Slagg  and  Stumps  went  their  separate 
ways,  having  appointed  to  meet  again  in  the 
evening  for  supper. 

We  will  follow  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  John  Shanks. 
That  rather  vacant  and  somewhat  degenerate  youth, 
having  his  precious  bag  slung  from  his  shoulders, 
and  his  left  arm  round  it  for  further  security, 
sauntered  forth  and  began  to  view  the  town.  His 
viewing  it  consisted  chiefly  in  looking  long  and 
steadily   at   the    shop   windows    of    the    principal 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  277 

streets.  There  was  a  slight  touch  of  cunning,  how- 
ever, in  his  expression,  for  he  had  rid  himself, 
cleverly  as  he  imagined,  of  his  comrades,  and 
meant  to  dispose  of  some  of  the  contents  of  his 
bag  to  the  best  advantage,  without  letting  them 
know  the  result. 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  deep-laid  plans,  Stumps 
attracted  the  attention  of  a  gentleman  with  exceed- 
ingly black  eyes  and  hair,  a  hook  nose,  and  rather 
seedy  garments.  This  gentleman  followed  Stumps 
with  great  care  for  a  considerable  time,  watched 
him  attentively,  seemed  to  make  up  his  mind  about 
him,  and  finally  ran  violently  against  him. 

"  Oh  !  I  do  beg  your  pardon,  sir.  I  am  so  sorry," 
he  said  in  a  slightly  foreign  accent,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  earnest  distress  on  his  not  over-clean  coun- 
tenance, "  so  very,  very,  sorry ;  it  was  a  piece  of 
orange  peel.  I  almost  fell ;  but  for  your  kind  as- 
sistance I  should  have  been  down  and,  perhaps, 
broke  my  legs.  Thank  you,  sir ;  1  do  hope  I  have 
not  hurt  you  against  the  wall.  Allow  me  to  dust 
your  sleeve." 

"  Oh  !  you've  done  me  no  damage,  old  gen'l'man," 
said  Stumps,  rather  flattered  by  the  man's  attention 
and  urbanity.  "  I  'm  all  right ;  I  ain't  so  easy  hurt. 
You  needn't  take  on  so." 

"  But  I  cannot  help  take  on  so,"  returned  the 
seedy  man,  with  an  irresistibly  bland  smile,  "  it  is 


278  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

SO  good  of  you  to  make  light  of  it,  yet  I  might 
ahiiost  say  you  saved  my  life,  for  a  fall  to  an  elderly 
man  is  always  very  dangerous.  Will  you  not  allow 
me  to  give  my  benefactor  a  drink  ?  See,  here  is  a 
shop." 

Stumps  chanced  to  be  very  hot  and  thirsty  at 
the  time  ;  indeed  he  had  been  meditating  some  such 
indulgence,  and  fell  into  the  trap  at  once.  Accept- 
ing the  offer  with  a  "  well,  I  don't  mind  if  I  do," 
he  entered  the  drinking  saloon  and  sat  down,  while 
his  new  friend  called  for  brandy  and  water. 

"  You  have  come  from  a  long  voyage,  I  see,"  said 
the  seedy  man,  pulling  out  a  small  case  and  offering 
Stumps  a  cigar. 

"  How  d'ee  know  that  ? "  asked  Stumps  bluntly. 

"  Because  I  see  it  in  your  bronzed  face,  and, 
excuse  me,  somewhat  threadbare  garments." 

"  Oh !  as  to  that,  old  man,  I  've  got  tin  enough 
to  buy  a  noo  rig  out,  but  I  'm  in  no  hurry." 

He  glanced  unintentionally  at  his  bag  as  he 
spoke,  and  the  seedy  man  glanced  at  it  too — inten- 
tionally. Of  course  Stumps's  glance  let  the  cat  out 
of  the  bag ! 

"  Come,"  said  the  stranger,  when  the  brandy  was 
put  before  them,  "  drink — drink  to — to  the  girls 
we  left  behind  us  !" 

" I  left  no  girl  behind  me"  said  Stumps. 

"Well  then,"  cried  the  seedy  man.  with  irresis- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  279 

tible  good  humour,  "  let  us  driiik  success  to  absent 
friends  and  confusion  to  our  foes." 

This  seemed  to  meet  the  youth's  views,  for,  with- 
out a  word  of  comment,  he  drained  his  glass  nearly 
to  the  bottom 

"Ha!  that's  good.  Nothin'  like  brandy  and 
water  on  a  hot  day." 

"Except  brandy  and  water  on  a  cold  day,  my 
dear/  returned  the  Jew — for  such  he  was;  "there 
is  not  much  to  choose  between  them.  Had  you  not 
better  take  off  your  bag  ?  it  incommodes  you  in  so 
narrow  a  seat.     Let  me  help — No  ?" 

"  You  let  alone  my  bag,"  growled  Stumps  angrily, 
with  a  sudden  clutch  at  it. 

"  Waiter !  bring  a  light.  My  cigar  is  out,"  said 
the  Jew,  affecting  not  to  observe  Stumps's  tone  or 
manner.  "  It  is  strange,"  he  went  on,  "  how,  some- 
times, you  find  a  bad  cigar — a  very  bad  cigar — in 
the  midst  of  good  ones.  Yours  is  going  well,  I 
think." 

"  Well  enough,"  answered  Stumps,  taking  another 
pull  at  the  brandy  and  water. 

The  seedy  man  now  launched  out  into  a  pleasant 
light  discourse  about  Bombay  and  its  ways,  which 
highly  interested  his  poor  victim.  He  made  no 
further  allusion  to  the  bag,  Stumps's  behaviour 
having  betrayed  all  he  required  to  know,  namely, 
that  its  contents  were  valuable. 


280  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Soon  the  brandy  began  to  take  effect  on  Stumps, 
and,  as  he  was  unaccustomed  to  such  potent  drink 
besides  being  unused  to  self-restraint,  he  would 
speedily  have  made  himself  a  fit  subject  for  the 
care  of  the  police,  which  would  not  have  suited  his 
new  friend  at  all.  When,  therefore.  Stumps  put 
out  his  hand  to  grasp  his  tumbler  for  another 
draught,  his  anxious  friend  inadvertently  knocked 
it  over,  and  then  begged  his  pardon  profusely. 
Before  Stumps  could  decide  whether  to  call  for 
another  glass  at  the  risk  of  having  to  pay  for  it 
himself,  the  Jew  pointed  to  a  tall,  sallow-i'aced  man 
who  sat  in  a  corner  smoking  and  reading  a  news- 
paper. 

"  Do  you  see  him  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  low  mysterious 
whisper. 

"Yes;  who  is  he?  what  about  him?"  asked  the 
youth  in  a  similar  whisper. 

"He  's  an  opium-smoker." 

"Is  he?"  said  Stumps  with  a  vacant  stare. 
•'What's  that?" 

Upon  this  text  the  seedy  man  delivered  a  dis- 
course on  the  pleasures  of  opium-smoking,  which 
quite  roused  the  interest  and  curiosity  of  his 
hearer. 

"But  is  it  so  very  nice  to  smoke  opium?"  lie 
asked,  after  listening  for  some  time. 

"  Nice,  my  dear  ?     I  should  think  it  is — very  nice 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  281 

but  very  wrong — oh !    very  wrong.      Perhaps  we 
ought  not  even  to  speak  about  it." 

"Nonsense  !"  said  the  now  half- tipsy  lad  with  an 
air  of  determination.  "  I  should  like  to  try  it.  Come, 
you  know  where  I  could  have  a  pipe.    Let 's  go." 

"Not  for  worlds,"  said  the  man  with  a  look  of 
remonstrance. 

"  Oh,  yes  you  will,"  returned  Stumps,  rising. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  wilful  man,  and  if  you  will  I 
suppose  you  must,"  said  the  Jew. 

He  rose  with  apparent  reluctance,  paid  the 
reckoning,  and  led  his  miserable  victim  into  one  of 
the  numerous  dens  of  iniquity  which  exist  in  the 
lowest  parts  of  that  city.  There  he  furnished  the 
lad  with  a  pipe  of  opium,  and,  while  he  was  in  the 
slate  of  semi-stupor  resulting  therefrom,  removed 
his  bag  of  treasure,  which  he  found,  to  his  delight, 
contained  a  far  richer  prize  than  he  had  antici- 
pated, despite  the  quantity  of  trash  with  which  it 
was  partly  filled. 

Having  secured  this,  he  waited  until  Stumps  had 
partially  recovered,  and  then  led  him  into  one  of 
the  most  crowded  thoroughfares. 

"  Now,  my  boy,"  he  said  affectionately,  "  I  think 
you  are  much  better.     You  can  walk  alone." 

"  I  should  think  I  could,"  he  replied,  indignantly 
shaking  off  the  man's  grasp.  "  Wh — what  d'ee 
take  me  for  ?" 


282  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

He  drew  his  hand  across  his  eyes,  as  if  to  clear 
away  the  cloud  that  still  oppressed  him,  and  stared 
sternly  before  him,  then  he  stared,  less  sternly,  on 
either  side,  then  he  wheeled  round  and  stared 
anxiously  behind  him.  Then  clapping  his  left 
hand  quickly  to  his  side,  he  became  conscious  that 
his  bag  was  gone,  and  that  his  late  friend  had  taken 
an  abrupt  departure  without  bidding  him  farewell. 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  283 


CHAPTEK   XXIII. 

STUiirS  IN  D)':SPAIR— AND  BOMBAY  IN   RAITUKES. 

When  Mr.  John  Shanks  realised  the  full  extent 
of  his  loss,  his  first  impulse  was  to  seize  hold  of  the 
nearest  passer-by  and  strangle  him ;  his  next,  to 
dash  down  a  narrow  street  close  beside  him  in  pur- 
suit of  some  one;  his  next,  to  howl  "  stop  thief!" 
and  "  murder !"  and  his  next,  to  stare  into  a  shop 
window  in  blank  dismay,  and  meditate. 

Of  these  various  impulses,  he  gave  way  only  to 
the  last.  His  meditations,  however,  were  confused 
and  unsatisfactory.  Turning  from  them  abruptly, 
he  hurried  along  the  street  at  a  furious  walk,  mut- 
tering, "  I  '11  go  an'  tell  Slagg."  Then,  pausing 
abruptly,  "No,  I  won't,  I  '11  go  an'  inform  the  pleece." 

Under  this  new  impulse  he  hurried  forward  again, 
jostling  people  as  he  went,  and  receiving  a  good 
deal  of  rough-handling  in  return.  Presently  he 
came  to  a  dead  halt,  and  with  knitted  brows  and 
set  teeth,  hissed,  "  I  '11  go  and  drown  myself." 

Pull  of  this  intention  he  broke  into  a  run,  but) 


284  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

not  being  acquainted  with  the  place,  found  it 
necessary  to  ask  his  way  to  the  port.  This  some- 
what sobered  him,  but  did  not  quite  change  his 
mind,  so  that  when  he  eventually  reached  the 
neighbourliood  of  the  shipping,  he  was  still  going 
at  a  quick  excited  walk.  He  was  stopped  by  a 
big  and  obviously  eccentric  sea-captain,  or  mate, 
who  asked  him  if  he  happened  to  know  of  any 
active  stout  young  fellow  who  wanted  to  ship  in  a 
tight  little  craft  about  to  sail  for  old  England. 

"  No  I  don't,"  said  Stumps,  angrily. 

"  Come  now,  think  again,"  said  the  skipper,  in 
no  degree  abashed,  and  putting  on  a  nautical  grin, 
which  was  meant  for  a  winning  smile.  "  I  'm  rather 
short-handed ;  give  good  wages  ;  have  an  amiable 
temper,  a  good  craft,  and  a  splendid  cook.  You  're 
just  the  active  spirited  fellow  that  I  want.  You'll 
ship  now,  eh  ?" 

"  No  I  won't,"  said  Stumps,  sulkily,  endeavouring 
to  push  past. 

"Well  well,  no  offence.  Keep  an  easy  mind,  and 
if  you  should  chance  to  change  it,  just  come  and 
see  me.  Captain  Bounce,  of  the  Swordfish.  There 
she  lies,  in  all  her  beauty,  quite  a  picture.  Good 
day." 

The  eccentric  skipper  passed  on,  but  Stumps  did 
not  move.  He  stood  there  with  his  eyes  riveted 
on  the  pavement,  and  his  lips  tightly  compressed. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  285 

Evidently  the  drowning  plan  had  been  abandoned 
for  something  else — something  that  caused  him  to 
frown,  then  to  smile,  then  to  grow  slightly  pale, 
and  then  to  laugh  somewhat  theatrically.  While 
in  this  mood  he  was  suddenly  pushed  to  one  side 
by  some  one  who  said — 

"The  track's  made  for  walkin'  on,  not  standin', 
young —    Hallo  !" 

It  was  Slagg  who  had  thus  roughly  encountered 
his  mate. 

"  Why,  Stumps,  what 's  the  matter  with  you  ?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  Where  'ave  you  bin  to  ?" 

"  Nowhere." 

"  Who 's  bin  afrightenin'  of  you  ?" 

"  Nobody." 

"  Nothin',  nowhere,  an'  nobody,"  repeated  his 
friend  ;  "  that 's  what  I  calls  a  coorious  combination 
for  a  man  who  's  as  white  as  a  sheet  one  moment, 
and  as  red  as  a  turkey-cock  the  next." 

"  Well,  Slagg,"  said  Stumps,  recovering  himself  a 
little,  "  the  fact  is,  I've  been  taken  in  and  robbed." 

Hereupon  he  related  all  the  circumstances  of 
his  late  adventure  to  his  astonished  and  disgusted 
comrade,  who  asserted  roundly  that  he  was  a  big 
booby,  quite  unfit  to  take  care  of  himself. 

"  Hows'ever,  we  must  do  the  best  we  can  for  you," 
he  continued,  "  so  come  along  to  the  police-office." 


286  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

Information  of  the  robbery  was  given,  and  in- 
quiries instituted  without  delay,  but  without  avail. 
Indeed  the  chief  officer  held  out  little  hope  of  ulti- 
mate success ;  nevertheless,  Slagg  endeavoured  to 
buoy  up  his  friend  with  assurances  that  they  must 
surely  get  hold  of  the  thief  in  the  long-run. 

"  And  if  we  don't,"  he  said  to  Eobin  and  Sam, 
during  a  private  conversation  on  the  subject  that 
same  night,  "  we  must  just  give  him  each  a  portion 
of  what  we  have,  for  the  poor  stoopid  has  shared 
our  trials,  and  ought  to  share  our  luck." 

While  Stumps  was  being  thus  fleeced  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city,  Eobin  and  Sam  had  gone  to 
make  inquiries  about  Mrs.  Langley,  and  at  the 
Government  House  they  discovered  a  clerk  who 
had  formerly  been  at  Sarawak,  and  had  heard  of 
the  fire,  the  abduction  of  the  little  girl,  and  of  Mrs. 
Langley  having  afterwards  gone  to  Bombay ;  but  he 
also  told  them,  to  their  great  regret,  that  she  had 
left  for  England  six  months  before  their  arrival,  and 
he  did  not  know  her  address,  or  even  the  part  of 
England  to  which  she  had  gone. 

"  But,"  continued  the  clerk,  who  was  a  very 
friendly  fellow,  "  I  "11  make  inquiries,  and  let  you 
know  the  result,  if  you  leave  me  your  address. 
Meanwhile  you  can  amuse  yourself  by  paying  a 
visit  to  that  wonderful  ship,  the  Great  Eastern, 
which  has  come  to  lay  a  submarine  telegraph  cable 


THE  BATTEKY  ANP  THE  BOILER.  287 

between  this  and  Aden.  Of  course  yon  have  heard 
of  her  arrival — perhaps  seen  her." 

"  0  yes,"  replied  Eobin.  "  We  intend  to  visit 
her  at  once.  She  is  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine, 
as  I  was  in  her  when  she  laid  the  Atlantic  cable  in 
1865.    Does  Captain  Anderson  still  command  her?" 

"No,"  answered  the  clerk,  who  seemed  much 
interested  in  what  Eobin  said.  "  She  is  now  com- 
manded by  Captain  Halpin." 

That  evening  Eobin  tried  to  console  poor  Letta 
in  her  disappointment  at  not  finding  her  mother, 
and  Sam  sought  to  comfort  Stumps  for  the  loss  of 
his  treasure.  Neither  comforter  was  very  suc- 
cessful. Letta  wept  in  spite  of  Eobin,  and  Stumps 
absolutely  refused  to  be  comforted  ! 

Next  day,  however,  the  tears  were  dried,  and 
Letta  became  cheery  again  in  the  prospect  of  a  visit 
to  the  Great  Eastern. 

But  Stumps  was  no  better.  Indeed  he  seemed 
worse,  and  flatly  refused  to  accompany  them  on 
their  trip,  although  all  the  world  of  Bombay  was 
expected  to  go. 

"  stumps,  Stumps, 
Down  in  the  dumps  ! 

Down  in  the  dumps  so  low — 0  !  " 

Sang  Jim  Slagg  as  he  waved  his  hand  in  farewell 
on  quitting  the  hotel.  "  Good-bye,  my  boy,  and  get 
your  spirits  up  before  we  return,  if  you  can." 


288  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  I  '11  try,"  replied  Stumps  with  a  grim  smile. 

The  event  which  stirred  the  city  of  Bombay  to 
its  centre  at  this  time  was  indeed  a  memorable  one. 
The  connecting  of  India  with  England  direct  by  a 
deep-sea  cable  was  a  matter  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance, because  the  land  telegraph  which  existed  at 
the  time  was  wretchedly  worked,  passing,  as  it  did, 
through  several  countries,  which  involved  translation 
and  re-translation,  besides  subjecting  messages  to 
needless  delay  on  the  part  of  unbusiness-like  peoples. 
In  addition  to  the  brighter  prospects  which  the 
proposed  cable  was  opening  up,  the  presence  of  the 
largest  ship  that  had  ever  yet  been  constructed  was  a 
point  of  overwhelming  attraction,  and  so  great  were 
the  crowds  that  went  on  board  to  see  the  marine 
wonder,  that  it  was  found  somewhat  difficult  to 
carry  on  the  necessary  work  of  coaling  and  making 
preparations  for  the  voyage. 

"  Eobin,"  said  Sam,  as  they  walked  along  with 
Letta  between  them,  "  I  've  just  discovered  that  the 
agent  of  tlie  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance 
Company  is  an  old  friend  of  mine.  He  has  been 
busy  erecting  a  cable  landing-house  on  the  shores 
of  Back  Bay,  so  we  Tl  go  there  first  and  get  him 
to  accompany  us  to  the  big  ship." 

"  Good,"  said  Eobin,  "  if  it  is  not  too  far  for  Letta 
to  walk." 

The    landing-house,   which    they   soon   reached, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  ^89 

stood  near  to  the  "  green  "  where  the  Bomhay  and 
Baroda  Kailway  tumbled  out  its  stream  of  cotton 
until  the  region  became  a  very  sea  of  bales.  It 
was  a  little  edifice  with  a  thatched  roof  and  Venetian 
blinds,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  whole  of 
Back  Bay,  with  Malabar  Point  to  the  right  and 
the  governor's  house  imbedded  in  trees.  Long 
lines  of  surf  marked  the  position  of  ugly  rocks 
which  were  visible  at  low  water,  but  among  these 
there  was  a  pathway  of  soft  sand  marked  off  by 
stakes,  along  which  the  shore-end  of  the  cable  was 
to  lie. 

For  the  reception  of  the  extreme  end  of  the  cable 
there  was  provided,  in  the  cable-house,  a  testing 
table  of  solid  masonry,  with  a  wooden  top  on  which 
the  testing  instruments  were  to  stand ;  the  great 
delicacy  of  these  instruments  rendering  a  fixed  table 
indispensable. 

When  our  friends  reached  the  cable-house,  native 
labourers,  in  picturesque  Oriental  costume,  were 
busy  thatching  its  roof  or  painting  it  blue,  while 
some  were  screwing  its  parts  together ;  for  the 
house,  with  a  view  to  future  telegraphic  require- 
ments, was  built  so  as  to  come  to  pieces  for  ship- 
ment to  still  more  distant  quarters  of  the  globe. 

Sam's  friend  could  not  go  with  him,  he  said,  but 
he  would  introduce  him  to  a  young  acquaintance 
among  the   working  engineers  who  was  going  off 

T 


290  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

with  a  party  in  half  an  hour  or  so.  Accordingly, 
in  a  short  time  they  were  gliding  over  the  bay,  and 
ere  long  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  big  ship, 

*'  Oh,  Letta  !  "  said  Eobin,  with  a  glitter  of  enthu- 
siasm in  his  eyes,  as  he  gazed  round  on  the  well- 
remembered  deck,  "  it  feels  like  meeting  an  old 
friend  after  a  long  separation." 

"  How  nice !"  said  Letta. 

This  "  how  nice  "  of  the  child  was,  so  to  speak,  a 
point  of  great  attraction  to  our  hero.  She  always 
accompanied  it  with  a  smile  so  full  of  sympathy, 
interest,  and  urbanity,  that  it  became  doubly 
significant  on  her  lips.  Letta  was  precocious. 
She  had  grown  so  rapidly  in  sympathetic  capacity 
and  intelligence,  since  becoming  acquainted  with 
her  new  friends,  that  Eobin  had  gradually  come  to 
speak  to  her  about  his  thoughts  and  feelings  very 
much  as  he  used  to  speak  to  cousin  Madge  when 
he  was  a  boy. 

"  Yes,"  he  continued,  "  I  had  forgotten  how  big 
she  was,  and  she  seems  to  me  actually  to  have 
grown  bigger.  There  never  was  a  ship  like  her  in 
the  world.  Such  huge  proportions,  such  a  vast 
sweep  of  graceful  lines.  The  chief  difference  that 
I  observe  is  the  coat  of  white  paint  they  have  given 
her.  She  seems  to  have  been  whitewashed  from 
stem  to  stern.     It  was  for  the  heat,  I  fancy." 

"Yes,  sir,  it  wor,"  said  a  bluff  cable-man  who 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  291 

clianced  to  overhear  the  remark,  "  an'  if  you  wor 
in  the  tanks,  you  'd  'ave  iblessed  Capt'n  Halpin  for 
wot  he  done.  W'y,  sir,  that  coat  o'  whitewash 
made  a  difference  o'  no  less  than  eight  degrees  in 
the  cable-tanks  the  moment  it  was  putt  on.  Before 
that  we  was  nigh  stooed  alive.  Arter  that  we  've 
on'y  bin  baked." 

.  "  Indeed  ? "  said  Robin,  but  before  he  could  say 
more  the  bluff  cable-man  had  returned  to  his  bakery. 

"  Just  look  here,"  he  continued,  turning  again  to 
Letta  ;  "  the  great  ships  around  us  seem  like  little 
ones,  by  contrast,  and  the  little  ones  like  boats, 
—don't  they?" 

"  Yes,  and  the  boats  like  toys,"  said  Letta,  "  and 
the  people  in  them  like  dolls." 

"  True,  little  one,  and  yonder  comes  a  toy  steamer," 
said  Sam,  who  had  been  contemplating  the  paying- 
out  gear  in  silent  admiration,  "  with  some  rather 
curious  dolls  on  it." 

"  Oh !"  exclaimed  Letta,  with  great  surprise, 
"  look,  Eobin,  look  at  the  horses — just  as  if  we  were 
on  shore !" 

Among  the  many  surprising  things  on  board  of 
the  big  ship,  few  were  more  striking  for  incongruity 
than  the  pair  of  grey  carriage-horses,  to  which  Letta 
referred,  taking  their  morning  exercise  composedly 
up  and  down  one  side  of  the  deck,  with  a  groom 
at  their  heads. 


292  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

The  steamer  referred  to  by  Sam  was  one  which 
contained  a  large  party  of  Hindu  and  Parsee  ladies 
and  children  who  had  come  off  to  see  the  ship. 
These  streamed  into  her  in  a  bright  procession,  and 
were  soon  scattered  about,  making  the  decks  and 
saloons  like  Eastern  flower-beds  with  their  many- 
coloured  costumes — of  red,  pink,  white,  and  yellow 
silks  and  embroideries,  and  bracelets,  brooches, 
nose-rings,  anklets,  and  other  gold  and  silver  orna- 
ments. 

The  interest  taken  by  the  natives  in  the  Great 
Eastern  was  naturally  great,  and  was  unexpectedly 
illustrated  in  the  following  manner.  Captain 
Halpin,  anticipating  dijERculties  in  the  matter  of 
coaling  and  otherwise  carrying  on  the  work  of  the 
expedition,  had  resolved  to  specify  particular  days 
for  sight-seers,  and  to  admit  them  by  ticket,  on 
which  a  small  fee  was  charged— the  sum  thus  raised 
to  be  distributed  among  the  crew  at  the  end  of  the 
voyage.  In  order  to  meet  the  convenience  of  the 
"  upper  ten "  of  English  at  Bombay,  the  charge  at 
first  was  two  rupees  (about  4s.),  and  it  was  adver- 
tised that  the  ship  would  afterwards  be  thrown 
open  at  lower  rates,  but  to  the  surprise  of  all,  from 
an  early  hour  on  the  two-rupee  day  the  ship  was 
beset  by  Parsees,  Hindus,  and  Mohammedans,  so 
that  eventually,  on  all  sides — on  the  decks,  the 
bridge,  the  paddle-boxes,  down  in  the  saloons,  out- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  293 

side  the  cable-tanks,  mixed  up  with  the  machinery, 
clustering  round  the  huge  red  buoys,  and  at  the 
door  of  the  testing- room — the  snowy  robes,  and 
strange  head-dresses,  bright  costumes,  brighter  eyes, 
brown  faces,  and  turbans  far  outnumbered  the  stiff 
and  sombre  Europeans.  These  people  evidently 
regarded  the  Great  Eastern  as  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  world.  "The  largest  vessel  ever  seen  in 
Bombay,"  said  an  enthusiastic  Parsee,  "  used  to  be 
the  Bates  Eamily,  of  Liverpool,  and  now  there  she 
lies  alongside  of  us  looking  like  a  mere  jolly- 
boat." 

While  Sam  and  his  friends  were  thus  standing 
absorbed  by  the  contemplation  of  the  curious  sights 
and  sounds  around  them,  one  of  the  engineer  staff, 
who  had  served  on  board  during  the  laying  of  the 
1866  Atlantic  cable,  chanced  to  pass,  and,  recognis- 
ing Eobin  as  an  old  friend,  grasped  and  shook  his 
hand  warmly.  Eobin  was  not  slow  to  return  the 
greeting. 

"  Erank  Hedley,"  he  exclaimed,  "  why,  I  thought 
you  had  gone  to  California  !" 

"  Eobin  Wright,"  replied  the  young  engineer,  "  I 
thought  you  were  dead  ! " 

"  Not  yet,"  returned  Eobin  ;  "  I  'm  thankful  to 
report  myself  alive  and  well." 

"  But  you  ought  to  be  dead,"  persisted  Frank, 
*'  for  you  've  been   mourned  as   such    for   nigh  a 


294  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

couple  of  years.  At  least  the  vessel  in  which  you 
sailed  has  never  been  heard  of,  and  the  last  time  I 
saw  your  family,  not  four  months  since,  they  had 
all  gone  into  mourning  for  you." 

"  Poor  mother  1"  murmured  Eobin,  his  eyes  filling 
■with  tears,  "  but,  please  God,  we  shall  meet  again 
before  long." 

"  Come — come  down  with  me  to  the  engine-room 
and  have  a  talk  about  it,"  said  Frank,  "  and  let 
your  friends  come  too." 

Just  as  he  spoke,  one  of  the  little  brown-faced 
Mohammedan  boys  fixed  his  glittering  eyes  on  an 
opening  in  the  bulwarks  of  the  ship,  through  which 
the  water  could  be  seen  glancing  brightly.  That 
innate  spirit  of  curiosity  peculiar  to  small  boys  all 
the  world  over,  induced  him  to  creep  partly  through 
the  opening  and  glance  down  at  the  sparkling  fluid. 
That  imperfect  notion  of  balance,  not  infrequent  in 
small  boys,  caused  him  to  tip  over  and  cleave  the 
water  with  his  head.  His  Mohammedan  relatives 
greeted  the  incident  with  shrieks  of  alarm.  Eobin, 
who  had  seen  him  tip  over,  being  a  good  swimmer, 
and  prompt  to  act,  went  through  the  same  hole  like 
a  fish-torpedo,  and  caught  the  brown  boy  by  the 
hair,  as  he  rose  to  the  surface  with  staring  eyes,  out- 
spread fingers,  and  a  bursting  cry. 

Eope-ends,   life-buoys,   and   other   things    were 
flung   over  the   side ;    oars   were   plunged ;    boats 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  295 

darted  forward  ;  fifty  efforts  at  rescue  were  made 
in  as  many  seconds,  for  there  was  wealth  of  aid  at 
hand,  and  in  a  wonderfully  brief  space  of  time  the 
brown  boy  was  restored  to  his  grateful  friends, 
while  Eobin,  enveloped  in  a  suit  of  dry  clothes 
much  too  large  for  him,  was  seated  with  his  friend 
the  engineer  down  among  the  great  cranks,  an4 
wheels,  and  levers,  of  the  regions  below. 

"  It 's  well  the  sharks  weren't  on  the  outlook," 
said  Frank  Hedley,  as  he  brought  forward  a  small 
bench  for  Letta,  Sam,  and  Jim  Slagg.  "  You  won't 
mind  the  oily  smell,  my  dear,"  he  said  to  Letta. 

"  0  no.  I  rather  like  it,"  replied  the  accom- 
modating child. 

"It's  said  to  be  fattening,"  remarked  Slagg,  "even 
when  taken  through  the  nose." 

"Come  now,  let  me  hear  all  about  my  dear 
mother  and  the  rest  of  them,  Frank,"  said  Eobin. 

Frank  began  at  once,  and,  for  a  considerable 
time,  conversed  about  the  sayings  and  doings  of 
the  Wright  family,  and  of  the  world  at  large,  and 
about  the  loss  of  the  cable-ship ;  but  gradually  and 
slowly,  yet  surely,  the  minds  and  converse  of  the 
little  part;^  came  round  to  the  all-absorbing  topic, 
like  the  needle  to  the  pole  ! 

"  So,  you  're  actually  going  to  begin  to  coal 
to-morrow?"  said  Sam. 

"  Yes,  and  we  hope  to  be  ready  in  a  few  days  to 


296  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

lay  the  shore- end  of  the  cable,"  answered  the  young 
engineer. 

"  But  have  they  not  got  land  lines  of  telegraph 
■which  work  well  enough  ? "  asked  Eobin, 

"  Land  lines  ! "  exclaimed  Frank,  with  a  look  of 
contempt.  "  Yes,  they  have,  and  no  doubt  the 
lines  are  all  right  enough,  but  the  people  through 
whose  countries  they  pass  are  all  wrong.  "Why, 
the  Government  lines  are  so  frequently  out  of  order 
just  now,  that  their  daily  condition  is  reported  on 
as  if  they  were  noble  invalids.  Just  listen  to  this 
(he  caught  up  a  very  much  soiled  and  oiled  news- 
paper)— 'Telegraph  Line  Eeports,  Kurrachee,  2d 
Feby.,  6  p.m. — Cable  communication  perfect  to  Fao  ; 
Turkish  line  is  interrupted  beyond  Semawali ; 
Persian  line  interrupted  beyond  Shiraz.'  And  it 
is  constantly  like  that — the  telegraphic  disease, 
tliough  intermittent,  is  chronic.  One  can  never 
be  sure  when  the  line  may  be  unfit  for  duty.  Some- 
times from  storms,  sometimes  from  the  assassina- 
tion of  the  operators  in  wild  districts  through  which 
the  land  wires  pass,  and  sometimes  from  the  de- 
struction of  lines  out  of  pure  mischief,  the  telegraph 
is  often  beaten  by  the  mail." 

"  There  seems,  indeed,  much  need  for  a  cable 
direct,"  said  Sam,  "which  will  make  us  independent 
of  Turks,  Persians,  Arabs,  and  all  the  rest  of  them. 
By  the  way,  how  long  is  your  cable  ? " 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  297 

"Tlie  cable  now  in  our  tanks  is  2375  nautical 
miles  long,  but  our  companion  ships,  the  Hibernia, 
Chiltern,  and  Hawk,  carry  among  them  1225  miles 
more,  making  a  total  of  3600  nautical  miles,  which 
is  equal,  as  you  know,  to  4050  statute  miles.  This 
is  to  suf&ce  for  the  communication  between  Bombay 
and  Aden,  and  for  the  connecting  of  the  Malta  and 
Alexandria  lines.  They  are  now  laying  a  cable 
between  England,  Gibraltar,  and  Malta,  so  that 
when  all  is  completed  there  will  be  one  line  of 
direct  submarine  telegraph  unbroken,  except  at 
Suez. 

"  Magnificent !"  exclaimed  Eobin,  "  why,  it  won't 
be  long  before  we  shall  be  able  to  send  a  message 
to  India  and  get  a  reply  in  the  same  day." 

"  In  the  same  day  !"  cried  Sam,  slapping  his 
thigh ;  "  mark  my  words,  as  uncle  Eik  used  to  say, 
you  'U  be  able  to  do  that,  my  boy,  within  the  same 
hour  before  long." 

"  Come,  Sam,  don't  indulge  in  prophecy.  It  does 
not  become  you,"  said  Eobin.  "  By  the  way,  Frank, 
what  about  uncle  Eik  ?  You  have  scarcely  men- 
tioned him." 

"  Oh  !  he 's  the  same  hearty  old  self-opinionated 
fellow  as  ever.  Poor  fellow,  he  was  terribly  cut  up 
about  your  supposed  death.  I  really  believe  that 
he  finds  it  hard  even  to  smile  now,  much  less  to 
laugh.     As  for  Madge,  she  won't  believe  that  you 


298  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

are  lost — at  least  she  won't  admit  it,  though  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  anxiety  has  told  upon  her." 

"  I  wonder  how  my  poor  old  mother  has  took  it," 
said  Slagg,  pathetically.  "  But  she 's  tough,  an' 
can't  be  got  to  believe  things  easy.  She  '11  hold 
out  till  I  turn  up,  I  dessay,  and  when  I  present 
myself  she '11  say,  ' I  know'd  it !'" 

"  But  to  return  to  the  cable,"  said  Sam,  with  an 
apologetic  smile.  "  Is  there  any  great  difference 
between  it  and  the  old  ones  ?" 

"  Not  very  much.  We  have  found,  however, 
that  a  little  marine  wretch  called  the  teredo  at- 
tacks hemp  so  greedily  that  we  've  had  to  invent 
a  new  compound  wherewith  to  coat  it,  namely, 
ground  flint  or  silica,  pitch,  and  tar,  which  gives 
the  teredo  the  toothache,  I  suppose,  for  it  turns 
him  off  effectually.  "We  have  also  got  an  inter- 
mediate piece  of  cable  to  affix  between  the  heavy 
shore- end  and  the  light  deep-sea  portion.  There 
are,  of  course,  several  improvements  in  the  details 
of  construction,  but  essentially  it  is  the  same  as  the 
cables  you  have  already  seen,  with  its  seven  copper 
wires  covered  with  gutta-percha,  and  other  insu- 
lating and  protecting  substances." 

"  It 's  what  I  calls  a  tremendious  undertakin'," 
said  Slagg. 

"  It  is  indeed,"  assented  Frank,  heartily,  for  like 
all  the  rest  of  the  crew,  from  the  captain  down- 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  299 

wards,  he  was  quite  enthusiastic  about  the  ship  and 
her  work.  "  Why,  when  you  come  to  think  of  it, 
it 's  unbelievable.  I  sometimes  half  expect  to 
waken  up  and  find  it  is  all  a  dream.  Just  fancy. 
We  left  England  with  a  freight  of  21,000  tons. 
The  day  is  not  long  past  when  I  thought  a  ship 
of  1000  tons  a  big  one  ;  what  a  mite  that  is  to  our 
Leviathan,  as  she  used  to  be  called.  We  had  5512 
tons  of  cable,  3824  tons  of  fuel,  6499  tons  of  coal 
and  electric  apparatus  and  appliances  when  we 
started ;  the  whole  concern,  ship  included,  being 
valued  at  somewhere  about  two  millions  sterling. 
It  may  increase  your  idea  of  the  size  and  needs 
of  our  little  household  when  I  tell  you  that  the 
average  quantity  of  coal  burned  on  the  voyage  out 
has  been  200  tons  a  day." 

"  It 's  a  positive  romance  in  facts  and  figiires," 
said  Sam. 

"  A  great  reality,  you  should  have  said,"  remarked 
Eobin. 

And  so,  romancing  on  this  reality  of  facts  and 
figures  in  many  a  matter-of-fact  statement  and 
figurative  rejoinder,  they  sat  there  among  the  great 
cranks,  and  valves,  and  pistons,  and  levers,  until 
the  declining  day  warned  them  that  it  was  time  to 
go  ashore. 


300  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEIL 


CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

SHOWS  THE  DREADFUL  DEPRAVITT  OF  MAN,  AND  THE  AMAZING 
EFFECTS  OF  ELECTRICAL  TREATMENT  ON  MAN  AND   BEAST. 

Meanwhile  Stumps  went  back  to  the  hotel  to 
brood  over  his  misfortunes,  and  hatch  out  the  plan 
which  his  rather  unfertile  brain  had  devised. 

Seated  on  a  chair,  with  his  elbows  on  his  knees, 
his  chin  in  his  hands,  and  his  nails  between  his 
teeth,  he  stared  at  a  corner  of  the  room,  nibbled 
and  meditated.  There  was  nothing  peculiar  about 
the  corner  of  the  room  at  which  he  stared,  save  that 
there  stood  in  it  a  portmanteau  which  Sam  had 
bought  the  day  before,  and  in  which  were  locked 
his  and  Eobin's  bags  of  treasure. 

"  If  I  could  only  manage  to  get  away  by  rail  to — 
to — anywhere,  I  'd  do  it,"  he  muttered. 

Almost  simultaneously  he  leaped  from  his  chair, 
reddened,  and  went  to  look  out  at  the  window,  for 
some  one  had  tapped  at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  he  said  with  some  hesitation. 

"  GenTraan  wants  you,  sir,"  said  a  waiter,  ushering 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  301 

in  the  identical  captain  who  had  stopped  Stumps 
on  the  street  that  day. 

"  Excuse  me,  young  man,"  he  said,  taking  a  chair 
without  invitation,  "  I  saw  you  enter  tk'i  hotel,  and 
followed  you." 

"  Well,  and  what  business  had  you  to  follow  me?" 
demanded  Stumps,  feeling  uneasy. 

"  Oh,  none — none  at  all,  on'y  I  find  I  must  sail 
this  afternoon,  an'  I  've  took  a  fancy  to  you,  an' 
hope  you  've  made  up  your  mind  to  ship  with  me." 

Stumps  hesitated  a  moment. 

"  Well,  yes,  I  have,"  he  said,  with  sudden  resolu- 
tion.    "  When  must  I  be  on  board  ?" 

"  At  four,  sharp,"  said  the  captain,  rising.  "  I  like 
promptitude.     All  right.     Don't  fail  me." 

"  I  won't,"  said  Stumps,  with  emphasis. 

When  the  captain  was  gone.  Stumps  went  ner- 
vously to  the  door  and  peeped  out.  Nothing  was 
visible,  save  the  tail  of  a  waiter's  retiring  coat. 
Cautiously  shutting  and  bolting  the  door,  he  took 
up  a  strong  walking-cane,  and,  after  some  difficulty, 
forced  the  lock  of  the  portmanteau  therewith.  Abs- 
tracting from  it  the  two  bags  containing  the  trea- 
sures of  his  mates  Eobin  and  Sam,  he  wrapped  them 
in  a  handkerchief,  and  put  them  into  a  canvas  bag, 
which  he  had  purchased  for  the  reception  of  his  own 
wardrobe.  Taking  this  under  his  arm  he  went  quietly 
out  of  the  hotel  into  the  street  and  disappeared. 


302  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

He  was  closely  followed  by  a  wailer  who  had 
taken  the  liberty  of  peeping  through  the  key-hole 
M'hen  he  committed  the  robbery,  and  who  never  lost 
sight  of  him  till  he  had  seen  him  embark  in  a 
vessel  in  the  harbour,  named  the  Fairy  Queen,  and 
heard  him  give  his  name  as  James  Gibson.  Then 
he  returned  to  the  hotel,  giving  vent  to  his  senti- 
ments in  the  following  soliloquy — 

"Of  course  it  is  no  business  of  yours,  John 
Eibbon,  whether  men  choose  to  open  their  comrades' 
portmantys  with  keys  or  walkin'-sticks,  but  it  is 
well  for  you  to  note  the  facts  that  came  under  your 
observation,  and  to  reveal  them  to  them  as  they 
concern — for  a  consideration.** 

But  the  waiter  did  not  at  that  time  obtain  an 
opportunity  to  reveal  his  facts  to  those  whom  they 
concerned,  for  Sam,  Eobin,  Slagg,  and  Letta  did  not 
return  to  the  hotel,  but  sent  a  pencil  note  to  Stumps 
instead,  to  the  effect  that  they  had  received  an 
invitation  from  a  telegraph  official  to  pay  him  a 
visit  at  his  residence  up  country ;  that,  as  he  was 
to  carry  them  off  in  his  boat  to  the  other  side  of  the 
bay,  they  would  not  have  an  opportunity  of  calling 
to  bid  him.  Stumps,  a  temporary  farewell ;  that  he 
was  to  make  himself  as  happy  as  he  could  in  Bom- 
bay during  their  absence,  keep  on  the  rooms  at  the 
hotel,  and  settle  the  bills,  and  that  all  expenses 
would  be  paid  by  them  on  their  return. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  303 

As  the  youth  by  whom  this  message  was  sent 
knew  nothing  about  the  senders  or  whither  they 
had  gone,  and  as  Stumps  did  not  again  make  his 
appearance,  the  landlord  seized  the  few  things  that 
had  been  left  by  the  supposed  runaways. 

The  invitation  that  had  thus  suddenly  been  given 
and  accepted,  was  received  from  a  gentleman  named 
Redpath,  an  official  in  the  Indian  telegraph  service. 
They  had  been  introduced  to  him  on  board  of  the 
Great  Eastern  by  Sam's  friend,  Frank  Hedley,  and 
he  became  so  interested  in  their  adventurous  career 
that  he  begged  them  to  visit  his  bungalow  in  a  rather 
out-of-the-way  part  of  the  country,  even  if  only  for 
a  few  days. 

"  It  won't  take  us  long  to  get  there,"  he  said, 
"for  the  railway  passes  within  thirty  miles  of  it, 
and  I  '11  drive  you  over  as  pretty  a  piece  of  country 
as  you  could  wish  to  see.  I  have  a  boat  alongside, 
and  must  be  off  at  once.     Do  come." 

"But  there  are  so  manyof  us,"objected  Sam  Shipton. 

"  Pooh !  I  could  take  a  dozen  more  of  you,"  re- 
turned the  hospitable  electrician ;  "  and  my  wife 
rejoices — absolutely  rejoices — when  I  bring  home 
unexpected  company." 

"  What  a  pattern  she  must  be,"  said  Slagg  ;  "  but 
excuse  me,  sir,  since  you  are  so  good  as  to  invite  us 
all,  may  I  make  so  bold  as  to  ax  if  you  've  got  a 
servants'-'all?" 


304  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Well,  I  've  not  got  exactly  that,"  replied  Eed- 
path,  with  an  amused  look;  "but  I've  got  some- 
thing of  the  same  sort  for  my  servants.  Why  do 
you  ask  ? " 

"  Because,  sir,  I  never  did  sail  under  false  colours, 
and  I  ain't  agoin'  to  begin  now.  I  don't  set  up  for 
a  gentleman,  and  though  circumstances  has  throwed 
me  along  wi'  two  of  'em,  so  that  we  've  bin  hail- 
feller-well-met  for  a  time,  I  ain't  agoin'  to  conde- 
scend to  consort  wi'  them  always.  If  you  've  got  a 
servants'-'all,  I  '11  come  and  thank  'ee  ;  if  not,  I  '11 
go  an'  keep  company  wi'  Stumps  till  Mr.  Shipton 
comes  back." 

"  Very  well,  my  good  fellow,  then  you  shall  come, 
and  we  'U  find  you  a  berth  in  the  servants' -hall," 
said  Eedpath,  laughing. 

"  But  what  about  Stumps  ?"  said  Eobin ;  "  he  will 
wonder  what  has  come  over  us.  Could  we  not 
return  to  the  hotel  first  ?" 

"  Impossible,"  said  the  electrician ;  "  I  have  not 
time  to  wait.  My  leave  has  expired.  Besides,  you 
can  write  him  a  note." 

So  the  note  was  written,  as  we  have  shown,  and 
the  party  set  out  on  their  inland  journey. 

Before  starting,  however,  Frank  Hedley,  the  en- 
gineer, took  Sam  and  Eobin  aside. 

"Now,  think  over  what  I  have  mentioned,"  he 
said,  "  and  make  up  your  miuds.     You  see,  I  have 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  305 

some  influence  at  headquarters,  and  am  quite  sure 
I  can  get  you  both  a  berth  on  board  to  replace  the 
men  who  have  left  us.  I  think  I  can  even  manage 
to  find  a  corner  for  Slagg,  if  he  is  not  particular." 

"  Yv  e  shall  only  be  too  happy  to  go  if  you  can 
manage  it,"  replied  Eobin ;  "  but  Stumps,  what 
about  him?  We  can't  leave  Stumps  behind,  you 
know." 

"  Well,  1 11  try  to  get  Stumps  smuggled  aboard 
as  a  stoker  or  something,  if  possible,  but  to  say 
truth,  I  don't  feel  quite  so  sure  about  that  matter," 
replied  Frank. 

"But  shall  we  have  time  for  this  trip  if  you 
should  prove  successful?"  asked  Sam. 

"Plenty  of  time,"  returned  his  friend ;  "coaling  is  a 
slow  as  well  as  a  dirty  process,  and  to  ship  thousands 
of  tons  is  not  a  trifle.  I  daresay  we  shall  be  more 
than  a  week  here  before  the  shore- end  is  fixed  and 
all  ready  to  start." 

."Well  then,  Frank,"  said  Sam;  "adieu,  till  we 
meet  as  shipmates." 

The  railway  soon  conveyed  our  adventurers  a 
considerable  distance  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 

At  the  station  where  Redpath  and  his  guests  got 
out,  a  vehicle  was  procured  sufficiently  large  to  hold 
them  all,  and  the  road  over  which  they  rapidly 
passed  bore  out  the  character  which  the  electrician 
had  given  to  it.     Every  species  of  beautiful  scenery 

U 


306  THE  BATTEEY  AKD  THE  BOILER. 

presented  itself — from  the  low  scrubby  plain,  with 
clumps  of  tropical  plants  here  and  there,  to  undu- 
lating uplands  and  hills. 

"  You  must  have  some  difficulties  in  your  tele- 
graph operations  here,"  said  Eobin  to  Eedpath, 
"  with  which  we  have  not  to  contend  in  Europe." 

"  A  few,"  replied  his  friend,  "  especially  in  the 
wilder  parts  of  the  East.  Would  you  believe  it," 
he  added,  addressing  himself  to  Letta,  "  that  wild 
animals  frequently  give  us  great  trouble  ?  When- 
ever a  wild  pig,  a  tiger,  or  a  buffalo,  takes  it  into 
his  head  to  scratch  himself,  he  uses  one  of  our  tele- 
graph posts  if  he  finds  it  handy.  Elephants  some- 
times butt  them  down  with  their  thick  heads,  by 
way  of  pastime,  I  suppose,  for  they  are  not  usually 
fond  of  posts  and  wire  as  food.  Then  bandicoots 
and  porcupines  burrow  under  them  and  bring  them 
to  the  ground,  while  kites  and  crows  sit  on  the 
wires  and  weigh  them  down.  Monkeys,  as  usual, 
are  most  mischievous,  for  they  lay  hold  of  the  wires 
with  tails  and  paws,  swinging  from  one  to  another, 
and  thus  form  living  conductors,  which  tend  to 
mix  and  confuse  the  messages." 

"  But  does  not  the  electricity  hurt  the  monkeys  V 
asked  Letta. 

"  0  no  !  It  does  them  no  injury  ;  and  birds  sitting 
on  the  wires  are  never  killed  by  it,  as  many  people 
suppose.      The  electricity  passes  them  unharmed. 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.  307 

and  keeps  faithfully  to  the  wire.  If  a  monkey,  in- 
deed, had  a  tail  long  enough  to  reach  from  the  wire 
to  the  ground,  and  were  to  wet  itself  thoroughly,  it 
might  perhaps  draw  off  some  of  the  current,  but  for- 
tunately the  tails  of  monkeys  are  limited.  We  often 
find  rows  of  birds  lying  dead  below  our  telegraph 
lines,  but  these  have  been  killed  by  flying  against 
them,  the  wires  being  scarcely  visible  among  trees." 

"And  what  about  savages,  sir?"  asked  Jim  Slagg, 
who  had  become  deeply  interested  in  the  tele- 
graphist's discourse ;  "  don't  they  bother  you  some- 
times?" 

"Of  course  they  do,"  replied  Eedpath,  with  a 
laugh,  "and  do  us  damage  at  times,  though  we 
bother  them  too,  occasionally." 

"  How  do  you  manage  that,  sir  ? "  asked  Jim. 

"  Well,  you  must  know  we  have  been  much  hin- 
dered in  our  work  by  the  corruptness  and  stupidity  of 
Eastern  officials  in  many  places,  and  by  the  destructive 
propensities  and  rapacity  of  Kurds  and  wandering 
Arabs  and  semi-savages,  who  have  found  our  posts 
in  the  desert  good  for  firewood  and  our  wires  for 
arrow-heads  or  some  such  implements.  Some  of 
our  pioneers  in  wild  regions  have  been  killed  by 
robbers  when  laying  the  lines,  while  others  have 
escaped  only  by  fighting  for  their  lives.  Super- 
stition, too,  has  interfered  with  us  sadly,  though 
sometimes  it  has  come  to  our  aid." 


,  308  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"There  was  one  eccentric  Irishman — one  of  the 
best  servants  I  ever  had,"  continued  Eedpath, 
"who  once  made  a  sort  of  torpedo  arrangement 
which  achieved  wonderful  success.  The  fellow  is 
with  me  still,  and  it  is  a  treat  to  hear  Flinn,  that 's 
his  name,  tell  the  story,  but  the  fun  of  it  mostly 
lies  in  the  expressive  animation  of  his  own  face, 
and  the  richness  of  his  brogue  as  he  tells  it. 

" '  I  was  away  in  the  dissert  somewheres,'  he  is 
wout  to  say,  '  I  don't  rightly  remimber  where,  for  my 
brain  's  no  better  than  a  sive  at  geagraphy,  but  it 
was  a  wild  place,  anyhow — bad  luck  to  it !  Well, 
we  had  sot  up  a  line  o'  telegraph  in  it,  an'  wan  o' 
the  posts  was  stuck  in  the  ground  not  far  from  a 
pool  o'  wather  where  the  wild  bastes  was  used  to 
dhrink  of  a  night,  an'  they  tuk  a  mighty  likin'  to 
this  post,  which  they  scrubbed  an'  scraped  at  till 
tliey  broke  it  agin  an'  agin.  Och !  it 's  me  heart 
was  broke  intirely  wi'  them.  At  last  I  putt  me 
brains  in.steep  an'  got  up  an  invintion.  It  wouldn't 
be  aisy  to  explain  it,  specially  to  onscientific  people. 
Ko  matter,  it  was  an  electrical  arrangement,  which 
I  fixed  to  the  post,  an'  bein'  curious  to  know  how 
it  would  work,  I  wint  down  to  the  pool  an'  hid  me- 
silf  in  a  hole  of  a  rock,  wid  a  big  stone  over  me  an' 
ferns  all  round  about.  I  tuk  me  rifle,  av  coorse,  just 
for  company,  you  know,  but  not  to  shoot,  for  I  'm 
not  bloodthirsty,  by  no  means.     Well,  I  hadn't  bin 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  309 

long  down  whin  a  rustle  in  the  laves  towld  me 
that  somethin'  was  comin',  an'  sure  enough  down 
trotted  a  little  deer — as  purty  a  thing  as  you  could 
wish  to  see.  It  took  a  dhrink,  tremblin'  all  the  time, 
an'  there  was  good  cause,  for  another  rustlin'  was 
heard.  Off  wint  the  deer,  just  as  a  panther  o'  some 
sort  jumped  out  o'  the  jungle  an'  followed  it.  Bad 
luck  go  wid  ye  !  says  I ;  but  I  'd  scarce  said  it  whin 
a  loud  crashing  in  the  jungle  towld  me  a  buffalo  or 
an  elephant  was  comin'.  It  was  an  elephant.  He 
wint  an'  took  a  long  pull  at  the  pool.  After  that 
he  goes  straight  to  the  post.  Ha !  says  I,  it 's  an 
owld  friend  o'  yours,  I  see.  "When  he  putt  his 
great  side  agin'  it,  for  the  purpose  of  scratchin', 
he  got  a  shock  from  my  electrical  contrivance  that 
caused  his  tail  to  stand  upon  end,  and  the  hairs  at 
its  point  to  quiver.  Wid  a  grunt  he  stood  back 
an'  gave  the  post  a  look  o'  surprise,  as  much  as  to 
say,  Did  ye  do  that  a-purpose,  ye  spalpeen  ?  Then 
he  tried  it  again,  an'  got  another  shock  that  sot 
up  his  dander,  for  he  twisted  his  long  nose  round 
the  post,  goin'  to  pull  it  down,  no  doubt,  but  he  got 
another  shock  on  the  nose  that  made  him  squeal 
an'  draw  back.  Then  he  lowered  his  great  head  for 
a  charge.  It 's  all  over  wid  ye  now,  me  post,  says 
I ;  but  the  baste  changed  its  mind,  and  wint  off 
wid  its  tail  an'  trunk  in  the  air,  trumpetin'  as  if 
it  had  got  the  toothache.    Well,  after  that  nothiu* 


310  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

came  for  some  time,  and  I  think  I  must  have  gone 
off  to  slape,  for  I  was  awoke  by  a  most  tremendious 
roar.  Lookin'  up  I  saw  a  tiger  sprawlin'  on  his 
back  beside  the  post !  Av  coorse  the  shock  wasn't 
enough  to  have  knocked  the  baste  over.  I  suppose 
it  had  tripped  in  the  surprise.  Anyhow  it  jumped 
up  and  seized  the  post  with  claws  an'  teeth,  whin  av 
coorse  it  got  another  shock  that  caused  it  to  jump 
back  about  six  yards,  with  its  tail  curled,  its  hair 
all  on  end,  all  its  claws  out,  an'  its  eyes  blazin'. 
You  seem  to  feel  it,  says  I — in  to  meself,  for  fear 
he'd  hear  me.  He  didn't  try  it  again,  but  wint 
away  into  the  bush  like  a  war-rocket.  After 
that,  five  or  six  little  wild  pigs  came  down,  an' 
the  smallest  wan  wint  straight  up  to  the  post  an' 
putt  his  nose  to  it.  He  drew  back  wid  a  jerk,  an' 
gave  a  scream  that  seemed  to  rend  all  his  vitals. 
You  don't  like  it,  thinks  I ;  but,  faix,  it  looked  as  if 
I  was  wrong,  for  he  tried  it  again.  Another  shock 
he  got,  burst  himself  a' most  wid  a  most  fearful 
yell,  an'  bolted.  His  brothers  didn't  seem  to  under- 
stand it  quite.  They  looked  after  him  in  surprise. 
Then  the  biggest  wan  gave  a  wriggle  of  his  curly 
tail,  an'  wint  to  the  post  as  if  to  inquire  what  was 
the  matter.  When  he  got  it  on  the  nose  the  effect 
was  surprisin'.  The  curl  of  his  tail  came  straight 
out,  an'  it  quivered  for  a  minute  all  over,  wid  its 
mouth  wide  open.     The  screech  had  stuck  in  his 


THE  BATTEIIY  AND  THE  BOILER.  31 1 

throat,  but  it  came  out  at  last  so  fierce  that  tlie 
other  pigs  had  to  join  in  self-defence.  I  stuck 
my  fingers  in  my  ears  and  shut  me  eyes.  When  I 
opened  them  again  the  pigs  were  gone.  It's  my 
opinion  they  were  all  dissolved,  like  the  2in3 
plates  in  a  used-up  battery  ;  but  I  can't  prove  that. 
Well,  while  I  was  cogitatin'  on  the  result  of  my 
little  invintion,  what  should  walk  out  o'  the  woods 
but  a  man  !  At  first  I  tuk  him  for  a  big  monkey, 
for  the  light  wasn't  very  good,  but  he  had  a  gun  on 
his  shoulder,  an'  some  bits  o'  clothes  on,  so  I  knew 
him  for  a  human.  Like  the  rest  o'  them,  he  wint 
up  to  the  post  an'  looked  at  it,  but  didn't  touch  it. 
Then  he  came  to  the  pool  an'  tuk  a  dhrink,  an* 
spread  out  his  blanket,  an'  began  to  arrange  matters 
for  spendin'  the  r^st  o'  the  night  there.  Av  coorse 
he  pulled  out  his  axe,  for  he  couldn't  do  widout  fire 
to  kape  the  wild  bastes  off.  An'  what  does  he  do 
but  go  straight  up  to  my  post  an'  lift  his  axe  for  a 
good  cut.  Hallo  !  says  I,  pretty  loud,  for  I  was 
a'most  too  late.  Whew  !  What  a  jump  he  gave  ! 
— six  futt  if  it  was  an  inch.  Whin  he  came  down 
he  staggered  with  his  back  agin  the  post.  That  was 
enough.  The  jump  he  tuk  before  was  nothin'  to 
what  he  did  after.  I  all  but  lost  sight  of  him 
among  the  branches.  When  he  returned  to  the 
ground  it  was  flat  on  his  face  he  fell,  an',  rowlin' 
over  his  head,  came  up  on  his  knees  with  a  roar 


312  THE  BATTEPvY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

that  putt  the  tigers  and  pigs  to  shame.  Sarves  you 
right,  says  I,  steppin'  out  of  my  hole.  Av  coorse 
he  thought  I  was  a  divil  of  some  sort,  for  he  turned 
as  white  in  the  face  as  a  brown  man  could,  an' 
bolted  without  so  much  as  sayin'  farewelL  The 
way  that  nigger  laid  his  legs  along  the  ground  was 
a  caution.  Ostriches  are  a  joke  to  it.  I  picked  up 
his  blanket  an'  fetched  it  home  as  a  keepsake,  an* 
from  that  day  to  this  the  telegraph  posts  have  been 
held  sacred  by  man  an'  baste  all  over  that  part  of 
the  country.' " 

"  I  'd  like  to  meet  wi'  the  feller  that  told  that 
yarn,"  said  Jim  Slagg. 

"  So  should  I,"  said  Letta,  laughing. 

"  You  shall  both  have  your  wish,  for  there 
he  stands,"  said  Eedpath,  as  they  dashed  round 
the  corner  of  a  bit  of  jungle,  on  the  other 
side  of  which  lay  as  pretty  a  bungalow  as  one 
could  wish  to  see.  A  man-servant  who  had 
heard  the  wheels,  was  ready  at  the  gate  to 
receive  the  reins,  while  under  the  verandah 
stood  a  pretty  little  woman  to  receive  the 
visitors.  Beside  her  was  a  black  nurse  with  a 
white  baby. 

"  Here  we  are,  Flinn,"  said  Eedpath,  leaping  to 
the  ground.      "  All  well,  eh  ?" 

"  Sure  we  're  niver  anything  else  here,  sor,"  re- 
plied Flinn,  with  a  modest  smile. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  313 

**  I  've  just  been  relating  your  electrical  experi- 
ences to  my  friends,"  saiil  the  master. 

"  Ah  !  now,  it 's  drawin'  the  long  bow  you  've 
been,"  returned  the  man ;  "  I  see  it  in  their  faces." 

"  I  have  rather  diluted  the  dose  than  otherwise," 
returned  Eedpath.  "  Let  me  introduce  Mr.  Slagg. 
He  wishes  to  see  Indian  life  in  the  '  servants'  hall.' 
Let  him  see  it,  and  treat  him  well." 

"  Yours  to  command,"  said  Flinn,  with  a  nod  as  he 
led  the  horses  away.     "This. way,  Mr.  Slug." 

"  Slagg,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Tlinn,"  said  Jim.  "  The 
difference  between  a  a  an'  a  u  ain't  much,  but  the 
results  is  powerful  sometimes." 

While  Slagg  was  led  away  to  the  region  of  the 
bungalow  appropriated  to  the  domestics,  his  friends 
were  introduced  to  pretty  little  Mrs.  Eedpath,  and 
immediately  found  themselves  thoroughly  at  home 
under  the  powerful  influence  of  Indian  hospitality. 

Although,  being  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  a  veritable  Indian  jungle,  it  was  natural  that 
both  Sam  and  Eobin  should  wish  to  see  a  little 
sport  among  large  game,  their  professional  enthusi- 
asm rose  superior  to  their  sporting  tendencies,  and 
they  decided  next  day  to  accompany  their  host  on 
a  short  trip  of  inspection  to  a  neighbouring  tele- 
graph station.  Letta  being  made  over  to  the  care 
of  the  hostess,  was  forthwith  installed  as  assistant 
nurse  to  the  white  baby,  ^vhom  she  already  regarded 


314  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

as  a  delicious  doll — so  readily  does  female  nature 
adapt  itself  to  its  appropriate  channels  ! 

Not  less  readily  did  Jim  Slagg  adapt  himself  to 
one  of  the  peculiar  channels  of  man's  nature.  Sport 
was  one  of  Slagg's  weaknesses,  though  he  had  enjoyed 
very  little  of  it,  poor  fellow,  in  the  course  of  his  life. 
To  shoot  a  lion,  a  tiger,  or  an  elephant,  was,  in  Slagg's 
estimation,  the  highest  possible  summit  of  earthly 
felicity.  He  was  young,  you  see,  at  that  time,  and 
moderately  foolish !  But  although  he  had  often 
dreamed  of  such  bliss,  he  had  never  before  expected 
to  be  within  reach  of  it.  His  knowledge  of  sport, 
moreover,  was  entirely  theoretic.  He  knew  indeed 
how  to  load  a  rifle  and  pull  the  trigger,  but  nothing 
more. 

"You  haven't  got  many  tigers  in  these  parts,  I 
suppose  ?"  he  said  to  Flinn  as  they  sauntered  towards 
the  house  after  seeing  the  electrical  party  off.  He 
asked  the  question  with  hesitation,  being  impressed 
with  a  strange  disbelief  in  tigers,  except  in  a 
menagerie,  and  feeling  nearly  as  much  ashamed 
as  if  he  had  asked  whether  they  kept  elephants 
in  the  sugar-basin.  To  his  relief  Flinn  did  not 
laugh,  but  replied  quite  gravely — 

"  Och !  yes,  we  've  got  a  few,  but  they  don't  often 
come  nigh  the  house.  We  have  to  thravel  a  bit  into 
the  jungle,  and  camp  out,  whin  we  wants  wan.  I 
heard  master  say  he  'd  have  a  try  at  'em  to-morrow, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  3 1 5 

SO  you  '11  see  the  fun,  for  we  've  all  got  to  turn  out 
whin  we  go  after  tigers.  If  you  're  fond  o'  sport  in 
a  small  way,  howiver,  I  can  give  ye  a  turn  among 
the  birds  an'  small  game  to-day." 

"  There 's  nothing  I  'd  like  better,"  said  Slagg, 
jumping  at  the  offer  like  a  hungry  trout  at  a  fly. 

"  Come  along,  then,"  returned  the  groom  heartily  ; 
"  we  '11  take  shot-guns,  an'  a  spalpeen  of  a  black  boy 
to  carry  a  spare  rifle  an'  the  bag." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  two  men,  with  fowling- 
pieces  on  their  shoulders,  and  a  remarkably  attenu- 
ated black  boy  at  their  heels  carrying  a  large  bore 
rifle,  entered  the  jungle  behind  the  electrician's 
bungalow. 


316  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

A  GREAT  FIELD-DAY,  lU  WHICH  SLAGQ  DISTINGUISHES  HIMSELF. 

Now,  although  we  have  said  that  Jim  Slagg  knew 
how  to  pull  a  trigger,  it  does  not  follow  that  he 
knew  how  to  avoid  pulling  that  important  little 
piece  of  metal  He  was  aware,  of  course,  that  the 
keeping  of  his  forefinger  off  the  trigger  was  a  point 
of  importance,  but  how  to  keep  it  off  when  in  a  state 
of  nervous  expectation,  he  knew  not,  because  his 
memory  and  the  forefinger  of  his  right  hand  appeared 
to  get  disconnected  at  such  times,  and  it  did  not 
occur  to  him,  just  at  first,  that  there  was  such  an 
arrangement  in  gun-locks  as  half-cock. 

riinn  reminded  him  of  the  fact,  however,  when, 
soon  after  entering  the  jungle,  his  straw  hat  was 
blown  off  his  head  by  an  accidental  discharge  of 
Slagg's  gun. 

"  Niver  mention  it,"  said  Flinn,  picking  up  his 
riven  headpiece,  while  poor  Slagg  overwhelmed  him 
with  protestations  and  apologies,  and  the  black  boy 
stood  behind  exposing  his  teeth  and  gums  and  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  317 

whites  of  his  eyes  freely ;  "  niver  mention  it,  Mr. 
Slagg ;  accidents  will  happen,  you  know,  in  the  hest 
regulated  families.  As  for  me  beaver,  it 's  better 
riddled  than  whole  in  this  warm  weather.  Maybe 
you  'd  as  well  carry  your  gun  at  what  sodgers  call 
'  the  showlder,'  wid  the  muzzle  pintin'  at  the  moon — 
so;  that 'sit.  Don't  blame  yoursilf,  Mr.  Slagg.  Sure, 
it 's  worse  than  that  I  was  when  I  begood,  for  the 
nasty  thing  I  carried  wint  off  somehow  of  its  own 
accord,  an'  I  shot  me  mother's  finest  pig — waa  barrel 
into  the  tail,  an'  the  other  into  the  hid.  You  see, 
they  both  wint  off  a'most  at  the  same  moment. 
We  must  learn  by  exparience,  av  coorse.  You  've 
not  had  much  shootin'  yet,  I  suppose  ?" 

Poor,  self- condemned  Slagg  admitted  that  he  had 
not,  and  humbly  attended  toFlinn's  instructions, after 
which  they  proceeded  on  their  way ;  but  it  might 
have  been  observed  that  Flinn  kept  a  corner  of  his 
eye  steadily  on  his  new  friend  during  the  remainder 
of  that  day,  while  the  attenuated  black  kept  so  close 
to  Slagg's  elbow  as  to  render  the  pointing  of  the 
muzzle  of  his  gun  at  him  an  impossibility. 

Presently  there  was  heard  among  the  bushes  a 
whirring  of  wings,  and  up  flew  a  covey  of  large 
birds  of  the  turkey  species.  Plinn  stepped  briskly 
aside,  saying,  "  Now  thin,  let  drive !"  while  the 
attenuated  black  fell  cautiously  in  rear. 

Bang  !  bang  1  went  Slagg's  gun. 


818  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Oh !"  he  cried,  conscience-stricken ;  "  there,  if  I 
haven't  done  it  again  !" 

"Done  it!  av  coorse  ye  have!"  cried  Flinn, 
picking  up  an  enormous  bird;  "it  cudu't  have  bin 
nater  done  by  a  sportin'  lord." 

"  Then  it  ain't  a  tame  one  ?"  asked  Slagg  eagerly. 

"  No  more  a  tame  wan  than  yoursilf,  an'  the  best 
of  aitin'  too,"  said  Flinn. 

Jim  Slagg  went  on  quietly  loading  his  gun,  and 
did  not  think  it  necessary  to  explain  that  he  had 
supposed  the  birds  to  be  tame  turkeys,  that  his 
piece  had  a  second  time  gone  off  by  accident,  and 
that  he  had  taken  no  aim  at  all ! 

After  that,  however,  he  managed  to  subdue  his 
feelings  a  little,  and  accidentally  bagged  a  few  more 
birds  of  strange  form  and  beautiful  plumage,  by  the 
simple  process  of  shutting  his  eyes  and  firing  into 
the  middle  of  flocks,  to  the  immense  satisfaction  of 
Flinn,  who  applauded  all  his  successes  and  explained 
away  all  his  failures  in  the  most  amiable  manner. 

If  the  frequent  expanding  of  the  mouth  from  ear 
to  ear,  ^he  exposure  of  white  teeth  and  red  gums, 
and  the  shutting  up  of  glittering  eyes,  indicated 
enjoyment,  the  attenuated  boy  must  have  been  in 
a  blissful  condition  that  day. 

"Why  don't  ye   shoot   yerself.  Mister   Flinn?" 
asked  Slagg  on  one  occasion  while  reloading. 
"  Bekaise  it  shuits  me  better  to  look  on,"  answered 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  319 

the  self-denying  man.  "  You  see,  I  'm  used  to  it ; 
besides,  I  'm  a  marciful  man,  and  don't  care  to  shoot 
only  for  divarshion." 

"  What 's  that  ?"  cried  Slagg,  suddenly  pointing 
his  gun  straight  upwards  at  two  brilliant  black  eyes 
which  were  gazing  straight  down  at  him. 

"  Howld  on— och  !  don't—" 

riinn  thrust  the  gun  aside,  but  he  was  too  late  to 
prevent  the  explosion,  which  was  followed  by  a 
lamentable  cry,  as  a  huge  monkey  fell  into  Slagg's 
arms,  knocked  him  over  with  the  shock,  and 
bounded  off  his  breast  into  its  native  woods, 
shrieking. 

"  Arrah  !  he's  niver  a  bit  the  worse,"  cried  Flinn, 
laughing,  in  spite  of  his  native  politeness,  "  it  was 
the  fright  knocked  him  off  the  branch.  If  you'd 
only  given  him  wan  shot  he  might  have  stud  it, 
but  two  was  too  much  for  him.  But  plaise, 
Mister  Slagg,  don't  fire  at  monkeys  again.  I  niver 
do  it  mesilf,  an'  can't  stand  by  to  see  it.  It 's  so 
like  murther,  an'  the  only  wan  I  iver  shot  in  me 
life  was  so  like  me  own  owld  gran'mothcr  that  I've 
niver  quite  got  over  it." 

Slagg  willingly  promised  never  again  to  fire  at 
monkeys,  and  they  proceeded  on  their  way. 

They  had  not  gone  far,  when  another  whirring  of 
wings  was  heard,  but  this  time  the  noise  was 
greater  than  on  other  occasions. 


320  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

".What  is  it?"  asked  Slagg  eagerly,  preparing  ioi 
action. 

"  Sure  it's  a  paycock,"  said  Flinn. 

"A  what-cock?"  asked  Slagg,  who  afterwards 
described  the  noise  to  be  like  the  flapping  of  a 
mainsail 

"A^av-cock.      Splendid  aitin'.     Fire,  avic!" 

"What!  fire  at  that?"  cried  Slagg,  as  a  creature 
of  enormous  size  and  gorgeous  plumage  rose  above 
the  bushes.  "  Ye  must  be  jokin'.  I  eouldnt  fire 
at  that." 

"  Faix,  an'  ye  naidn't  fire  at  it  now"  returned 
Flinn  with  a  quiet  smile,  "for  it's  a  mile  out  o' 
range  by  this  time.  Better  luck — och  !  if  there 
isn't  another.  Now,  thin,  don't  be  in  a  hurry.  Be 
aisy.     Whatever  ye  do,  be  aisy." 

While  he  spoke  another  huge  bird  appeared,  and 
as  Slagg  beheld  its  size  and  spreading  wings  and 
tail,  he  took  aim  with  the  feelings  of  a  cold-blooded 
murderer.  That  is  to  say,  he  shut  both  eyes  and 
pulled  both  triggers.  This  double  action  had  be- 
come a  confirmed  habit  by  that  time,  and  Flinn 
commended  it  on  the  principle  that  there  was 
"  nothin'  like  makiu'  cocksure  of  everything  !" 

Pte-opening  his  eyes  and  lowering  his  gun,  Slagg 
beheld  the  peacock  sailing  away  in  the  far  dis- 
tance. 

^'  Sure  ye  've  missed  it,  but  after  all  it 's  a  most 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER.       321 

awkward  bird  to  hit — specially  when  ye  don't  pint 
the  gun  quite  straight.  An'  the  tail,  too,  is  apt  to 
throw  even  a  crack-shot  out — so  it  is.  Niver  mind; 
there  's  plenty  more  where  that  wan  came  from." 

Thus  encouraged,  our  sportsman  reloaded  and 
continued  his  progress. 

It  is  said  that  fortune  favours  the  brave,  and  on 
that  occasion  the  proverb  was  verified.  There  can  be 
no  question  that  our  friend  Jim  Slagg  was  brave. 
All  Irishmen  are  courageous,  therefore  it- is  equally 
certain  that  Flinn  was  brave,  and  the  attenuated 
black  could  not  have  been  otherwise  than  brave, 
else  he  would  not  have  continued  to  enjoy  himself 
in  the  dangerous  neighbourhood  of  Slagg's  gun. 
As  a  consequence,  therefore,  fortune  did  favour  the 
sportsmen  that  day,  for  it  brought  them  unex- 
pectedly into  the  presence  of  the  king  of  India's 
forests — a  royal  Bengal  tiger — tawny  skin,  round 
face,  glaring  eyes,  and  black  stripes  complete  from 
nose  to  tail ! ' 

There  was  no  doubt  in  Flinn's  mind  about  it, 
as  his  actions  proved,  but  there  were  consider- 
able doubts  in  Slagg's  mind,  as  was  evinced  by 
his  immediate  petrifaction — not  with  fear,  of 
course,  but  with  something  or  otlier  remarkably 
similar. 

Slagg  chanced  to  be  walking  in  advance  at  the 
time,  making  his  way  with  some  trouble  through  * 
X 


522>  THE  BATTERY  AXD  THE  BOILER, 

rather  dense  bit  of  jungle.  lie  had  by  that  time 
recovered  his  self-possession  so  njuch  that  he  was 
able  to  let  his  mind  ^Yander  to  other  subjects 
besides  sport. 

At  the  moment  when  the  rencontre  occurred  he 
chanced  to  be  wandering  in  spirit  among  the  groves 
of  Pirate  Island.  On  turning  sharp  round  a  bend 
in  the  track,  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the 
tiger,  which  crouched  instantly  for  a  spring.  As 
we  have  said,  the  sportsman  was  instantly  petrified. 
He  could  not  believe  his  eyes  !  He  must  have 
believed  something,  however,  else  he  would  not 
have  gazed  with  such  dreadful  intensity.  Yes, 
there,  a  few  feet  before  him,  crouched  the  tenant  of 
the  menagerie,  without  the  cage — the  creature  of 
picture  story-books  endued  with  life  ! 

Had  Slagg's  life  depended  on  his  putting  his  gun 
to  his  shoulder  he  would  have  lost  it,  for  he  could 
not  move.  His  fingers,  however,  were  gifted  with 
independent  action.  They  gave  a  spasmodic  jerk, 
and  both  barrels,  chancing  to  be  levelled  cor- 
rectly, sent  their  charges  full  into  the  tiger's 
face. 

Small  shot  may  tickle  a  tiger  but  it  cannot  kill. 
"With  a  roar  like  thunder  the  brute  sprang  on  its 
audacious  enemy.  Fortunately  Slagg  made  an  in- 
voluntary step  to  the  rear  at  the  moment,  and  fell 
flat  on  his  back,  so  that  the  animal,  half- blinded 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  323 

by  shot  and  smoke,  went  over  him,  and  alighted 
almost  at  the  feet  of  Plinn. 

That  worthy  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  At  the 
sound  of  his  friend's  double  shot  he  had  seized  the 
large  rifle  and  leaped  forward  in  time  to  meet  the 
baffled  tiger.  Quick  as  light  his  practised  hand 
discharged  the  heavy  bullet,  which,  passing  over 
the  animal's  head,  went  into  its  spine  near  the 
haunches,  so  that  when  it  tried  a  second  spring  its 
hind  legs  refused  their  office,  and  it  rolled  over 
fuming  and  struggling  in  an  agony  of  pain  and  rage. 

riinn  ran  a  few  paces  backward  so  as  to  reload 
in  comparative  safety,  while  Slagg  followed  his 
example,  but  in  desperate  haste.  Before  he  had 
half  charged  the  first  barrel,  a  second  shot  from  the 
heavy  rifle  laid  the  royal  monster  dead  on  the 
ground. 

"Well  done!"  cried  Flinn,  seizing  his  friend's 
hand  and  wringing  it.  "  It 's  Mmrod  you  are,  no 
less.  I  niver  saw  a  purtier  shot.  An',  faix,  it 's  not 
every  man  that  kills  a  tiger  his  first  day  out." 

"  But  I  didn't  kill  it,"  said  Slagg  modestly. 

"Sure  but  ye  drew  first  blood,  me  boy,  so  the 
tiger 's  yours,  an'  I  wish  you  joy.  Come,  we  '11  go 
home  now  an'  git  help  to  fetch  the  carcass.  Won't 
they  open  their  two  eyes  aich  of  them  whin  they 
see  it !  Here,  ye  black  spalpeen,  take  the  rifle  an' 
give  me  the  gun." 


324  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

In  a  few  minutes  tlie  fortunate  hunters  were 
wending  their  way  rapidly  homeward,  and  that 
night  the  whole  party,  while  enjoying  their  supper, 
feasted  their  eyes  on  the  magnificent  form  of  the 
royal  Bengal  tiger  as  it  lay  on  the  verandah,  in 
front  of  the  electrician's  bungalow. 


THE  EATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  325 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BEGINS  WITH   A  DISAPPOINTMENT,   CONTINUES  WITH  A  GREAT 
RECEPTION,    AND   ENDS   WITH    A   SERIES   UF   SURPRISES. 

At  the  breakfast-table  next  morning  a  telegram 
was  handed  to  Eedpath,  There  was  nothing  un- 
usual in  this.  On  the  contrary,  it  seemed  peculiarly 
natural  that  telegrams  should  be  frequent  visitors 
at  the  house  of  a  telegraphist,  but  it  was  not  so 
natural  that  Eedpath  should  first  look  at  the  missive 
with  surprise,  and  then  toss  it  across  the  table  to  Sam. 

"  It  is  for  you,  Mr.  Shipton." 

"  For  me  ?  Impossible  !  I  am  supposed  to  be 
dead  at  home,"  exclaimed  Sam,  tearing  it  open.  "  Oh, 
it 's  from  Frank  IJedley,  and — well,  he  has  been 
successful  after  all!  Listen,  Eobin.  Excuse  me, 
Mrs.  Eedpath.     May  I  read  it  aloud  ?" 

"  By  all  means,"  answered  the  pretty  little  woman, 
who  would  probably  have  answered  the  same  if 
he  had  asked  leave  to  go  to  bed  in  his  boots. 

" '  Your  affair  settled ' " — continued  Sam,  reading. 

" '  Great  Eastern  starts  almost  immediately.  Come 
without  delay.' " 


326  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"How  provoking!"  exclaimed  the  pretty  little 
woman.  "  I  had  counted  on  having  you  a  fortnight 
at  least." 

"  And  I  had  counted  on  showing  you  some  capital 
sport  in  our  jungles,  where  we  have  all  sorts  of  large 
game.  But  of  course  you  cannot  do  otherwise  than 
obey  the  summons  at  once." 

"Of  course  not,"  said  Sam  and  Eobin  together. 

Flinn  left  the  room  and  entered  the  servants* 
quarters  with  something  like  a  groan. 

"  Sure  it 's  bad  luck  has  followed  me  iver  since  I 
left  owld  Ireland." 

"  What 's  wrong  with  you  ?"  asked  Slagg,  looking 
up  from  the  slice  of  peacock  breast  with  which  he 
was  regaling  himself. 

"  The  matter  ?  Och,  it 's  bad  luck 's  the  matter. 
Hasn't  our  frindship  only  just  begood,  an'  isn't  it 
goin'  to  be  cut  short  all  of  a  suddint,  niver  more  to 
be  renewed  ?" 

In  pathetic  tones,  and  with  many  Hibernian  com- 
ments, the  poor  man  communicated  the  news  brought 
by  the  telegram.  But  regrets  were  of  no  avaU  ;  the 
orders  were  peremptory;  the  chance  of  returning 
to  England  in  such  circumstances  too  good  to  be 
lightly  thrown  away ;  so  that  same  forenoon  saw 
the  whole  party,  with  the  skin  of  the  royal  tiger,  on 
their  way  back  to  the  city  of  Bombay. 

It  is  easier  to  imagine  than  to  describe  the  statef 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  327 

of  mind  into  wliicli  they  were  thrown  when,  on 
returning  to  their  hotel,  they  discovered  the  perfidy  of 
Stumps.  Fortunately,  they  had  enough  of  money  left 
to  discharge  the  hotel  bill,  and  redeem  their  property. 

"  You  're  quite  sure  of  the  name  of  the  vessel  he 
sailed  in  ? "  asked  Sam  of  the  waiter  who  had  so 
cleverly  obtained  and  so  cautiously  retained  his  in- 
formation as  to  the  proceedings  of  Stumps. 

"  Quite  sure,  sir,"  replied  the  waiter.  "  The  ship's 
name  was  Fairy  Queen,  bound  for  the  port  of  Lon- 
don, and  the  thief — the  gen'lem'n,  I  mean — shipped 
in  the  name  of  James  Gibson." 

Having  received  the  "  consideration  "  which  he 
had  anticipated,  and  had  afterwards  given  up  as 
lost,  the  waiter  retired,  and  Sam,  with  his  friends, 
went  to  inquire  after  the  great  cable  with  which 
they  now  felt  themselves  to  be  specially  connected. 

"  Letta,"  said  Eobin,  as  they  went  along,  "  you  and 
I  must  part  for  a  time." 

"  Oh !  must  we  ? "  asked  the  child,  with  a  dis- 
tressed look. 

"  Yes,  but  only  for  a  very  short  time,  dear,"  re- 
turned Eobin.  "  You  know  we  cannot  get  you  a 
berth  on  board  the  Great  Eastern.  They  won't  even 
take  you  as  chief  engineer  or  captain  ! " 

"  But  why  not  as  the  captain's  daughter — or  hig 
wife?"  said  Letta,  who  thoroughly  understood  and 
enjoyed  a  joke. 


328  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Because,  Letta,  you  are  engaged  to  me,"  replied 
Ptobin,  with  an  offended  look. 

"  0  yes  ;  I  forgot  that.     Well  ?" 

Well,  what  we  have  arranged  is  this.  I  have  met 
with  many  kind  people  here,  some  of  whom  have 
been  greatly  interested  in  your  story,  and  one  of 
them — a  very  nice  lady,  who  is  going  home — has 
offered  to  take  you  with  her,  and  deliver  you  safely 
to  my  mother  in  England,  there  to  wait  till  I  come 
home  and  marry  you." 

"How  nice!"  exclaimed  Letta;  "and  you'll  be 
sure  to  come  home  soon  ? " 

"  Yes,  quite  sure,  and  very  soon." 

This  arrangement,  being  deemed  satisfactory,  was 
afterwards  carried  into  effect,  and  Letta  sailed  a 
few  days  later  in  one  of  the  regular  steamers  for 
England  via  the  Suez  Canal. 

Meanwhile  the  Great  Eastern  still  lay  at  her 
moorings,  completing  the  arrangements  for  her 
voyage. 

During  this  period  our  hero  lived  in  a  whirl  of 
excitement.  It  seemed  to  himself  as  if  he  were  tlie 
subject  of  an  amazing  but  by  no  means  unpleasant 
dream,  the  only  dark  spots  in  which  were  the 
departure  of  Letta  and  the  depravity  of  John 
Shanks,  alias  James  Gibson,  alias  Stumps. 

"  Oh !  Stumps,  Stumps,"  he  soliloquised,  sadly, 
one  day  while  standing  on  "  the  green  "  in  the  uu- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  329 

romantic  sliade  of  a  huge  bale  of  cotton,  "how 
could  you  behave  so  after  being  our  trusted  comrade 
so  long!" 

"Never  mind  Stumps  just  now,"  said  Sam 
Shipton,  making  his  appearance  at  the  moment, 
"but  come  along  with  me  at  once,  for  we  have 
received  an  invitation,  through  my  good  and  re- 
markable friend  Frank  Hedley,  to  the  grand  enter- 
tainment to  be  given  to-night  at  the  palace  of  the 
chief  and  Bahee  Sahib  of  Junkhundee." 

"And  who  may  that  be?"  asked  Eobin,  with  an 
incredulous  smile. 

"What!  know  you  not  the  great  chief  whose 
praise  is  in  the  mouths  of  all— Hindu,  Mohammedan, 
Jew,  and  Gentile,  because  he  feeds  and  entertains 
them  all  like  a  prince  ?" 

"He  is  the  creation  of  your  own  brain,  Sam.  I 
fancy." 

"  No  indeed,"  protested  Sam,  earnestly,  "  I  do 
not  jest.  The  Bahee  Sahib  is  a  wealthy  young 
Mahratta  chieftain,  who  has  been  consistently  loyal 
to  us,  and  who  entertains  mixed  parties  of  English- 
men and  natives  in  European  style,  and  does  his 
best  to  break  down  the  barriers  of  prejudice  and 
caste.  He  has  been  hospitably  received  on  board 
the  Great  Eastern,  it  seems,  and  is  now  getting  up 
a  grand  affair  in  honour  of  Captain  Halpin  and  his 
officers.     So,  come  alon^j." 


330  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  But,  my  dear  Sam,  you  forget,  we  have  not  a 
dress  suit  between  us,  and  in  the  present  condition 
of  our  finances  it  would  be  folly  to — " 

"  Fiddlesticks,  Eobin.  "We  have  only  to  make  a 
couple  of  turbans  out  of  bath- towels  and  a  few  pea- 
cock feathers ;  turn  Persian  shawls,  which  we  can 
borrow,  into  kilts,  put  on  slippers,  bare  our  legs  and 
paint  them  with  red  and  blue  stripes  crossed,  to 
indicate  something  of  Scottish  Highland  origin, 
anoint  our  noses  with  blue  bear's-grease,  and — " 

"  Nonsense,  Sam  ;  be  serious  if  you  can,  and  con- 
eider  what  we  are  really  to  do." 

"  You  're  so  impatient,  Eobin.  The  thing  has  all 
been  considered  for  us.  We  have  nothing  to  do 
but  accept  our  fate.  Frank  Hedley,  who  is  exactly 
your  size,  has  a  dress  suit  which  he  will  lend  you, 
and  a  friend  of  his,  who  happens  to  be  exactly  and 
conveniently  my  size,  has  also  a  suit,  and  is  equally 
accommodating.  Come  now,  for  time  presses,  and  I 
am  told  the  Lahee's  wife  loves  punctuality — but 
she 's  liberal-minded  like  her  husband,  and  makes 
allowance  for  laziness,  especially  in  hot  weather. 
She  is  a  regular  trump,  it  seems,  and  quite  amazed 
our  electricians,  during  her  visit  to  the  big  ship,  by 
her  intelligent  comprehension  of  all  they  explained 
to  her.  She  is  an  accomplished  equestrian,  and 
dresses  as  a  native  princess,  with  a  huge  ornament 
iii  her  nose,  but  does  not  disdain  to  mingle  with 


TUE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  331 

English  ladies  in  the  Bombay  Eotten  Eow,  and  uses 
a  European  saddle." 

The  account  which  Sam  had  thus  slightly  sketched 
was  more  than  borne  out  by  the  facts  that  evening. 
The  young  Eajah's  reception-rooms,  blazing  with 
lisht,  were  decorated  with  all  that  the  wealth  of 
fancy  could  suggest  or  the  wealth  of  precious  metal 
procure,  while  music  and  perfume  filled  the  air  and 
intoxicated  the  senses. 

For  some  time  Sam  and  Robin  moved  slowly 
about  in  the  crowded  rooms,  finding  themselves 
rubbing  shoulders,  now  with  Eastern  aristocrats  in 
richest  costume  and  glittering  jewels,  now  with  Eng- 
land's warriors  in  scarlet  and  blue  ;  sometimes  with 
Parsees,  Hindus,  Mohammedans,  and  Jews  in  their 
characteristic  garbs,  at  other  times  with  European 
civilians,  like  themselves,  in  sober  black. 

It  was  a  bewildering  scene,  and  the  loud  con- 
tinuous murmur  of  many  voices,  chattering  in  many 
tongues,  did  not  tend  to  decrease  the  bewilderment. 

"  What  are  they  about  over  there  ?"  said  Eobin, 
directing  his  companion's  attention  to  a  room  in 
which  the  people  appeared  to  be  observing  some- 
thing with  great  attention. 

"  I  don't  know.     Let 's  go  and  see,"  said  Sam. 

A  little  polite  pushing  brought  them  into  an 
apartment  in  which  an  English  professor  of  conjur- 
ing, who  had  been  engaged  for  the  occasion,  v/as 


332  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

exhibiting  his  tricks.  They  were  poor  enough,  and 
would  not  have  commanded  much  ajDplause  from 
any  audience,  except  one  that  had  met  to  enjoy 
whatever  chanced  to  be  provided. 

In  another  room,  however,  they  found  a  per- 
former of  much  greater  capacity — a  man  who 
possessed  considerable  powers  as  a  musician,  low 
comedian,  and  local  satirist ;  he  was  noted  for  his 
delineations  of  native  character,  and  succeeded  in 
making  the  Parsees  laugh  heartily  at  his  caricature 
of  the  Hindus,  while  he  convulsed  the  Hindus 
with  his  clever  skits  on  the  Parsees.  He  also  made 
effective  reference  to  the  Great  Eastern  and  her 
work,  bringing  out  the  humorous  aspects  of  tele- 
graphy and  of  quick  communication  between  India 
and  England. 

"  Come,  let 's  go  and  see  if  we  can  find  anything 
to  eat,"  said  Sam,  when  tired  of  this  man. 

"  Who  is  that  ? "  asked  Eobin,  as  they  moved 
through  the  crowd, 

"Why,  that's  the  Bahee  himself.  See,  he  has 
got  hold  of  Captain  Halpin,  and  seems  greatly 
pleased  to  lead  him  about." 

The  Eajah  did  indeed  exhibit  much  satisfaction 
in  his  beaming  brown  face  at  having  got  hold  of  so 
noted  a  character  as  the  commander  of  the  monster 
ship,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  the  almost  child- 
like glee  with  which,  taking  the  captain  by  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  333 

hand,  he  threaded  his  way  through  the  crowd,  intro- 
ducing him  right  and  left  to  his  friends.  Not  less 
pleasant  was  it  to  observe  the  lively  interest  with 
which  the  natives  regarded  the  captain  when  they 
learned  who»he  was. 

At  this  point  in  the  evening's  proceedings,  a 
gentleman  in  civilian  costume  came  up  to  Sam 
Shipton,  and  asked  him  if  he  were  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Davis — one  of  the  petty  officers  of  the  Great 
Eastern. 

"  I  know  him  slightly,"  said  Sam. 

"  He  has  got  into  trouble,  sir,"  said  the  stranger, 
"and  begged  me  to  find  you,  if  possible,  and  take 
you  to  him.  I  have  been  on  board  the  Great  Eastern 
looking  for  you,  and  was  directed  here." 

"  That 's  strange,"  returned  Sam,  "  I  have  seldom 
spoken  to  the  man.  Are  you  sure  he  did  not 
send  you  for  some  one  else — one  of  his  mess- 
mates ?" 

"  Quite  sure,  sir.  And  he  bade  me  urge  you  to 
go  quickly,  else  you  may  be  too  late." 

"  Well — lead  the  way.  Come,  Eobin,  I  'm  sorry 
to  quit  this  gay  and  festive  scene — especially  be- 
fore supper — but  it  can't  be  helped.  You'll  go 
with  me,  and  we  can  return  together." 

The  stranger  seemed  to  hesitate  a  moment,  as  if 
annoyed  at  Eobin  being  thus  asked  to  go,  but,  as  if 
quickly  making  up  his  mind,  led  them  out  of  the 


334  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Piiijah's  residence,  and,  after  a  smart  walk,  conducted 
them  into  one  of  the  poorer  districts  of  the  city. 

"What  sort  of  trouble  has  the  man  got  into?" 
asked  Sam  as  they  went  along. 

*'  I  really  do  not  know.  He  will  tell  you  when 
you  see  him,  I  suppose.  I  am  only  a  casual  acquaint- 
ance of  his,  and  came  on  this  errand  to  oblige  him, 
solely  because  he  seemed  in  great  mental  distress 
and  was  very  urgent." 

Soon  the  conversation  turned  upon  cable-laying, 
and,  finding  that  Eobin  had  been  at  the  laying  of 
the  Atlantic  cable  of  1856,  the  stranger  inquired 
about  the  attempts  that  had  been  made  to  injure 
that  cable. 

"  Tell  me,  now,  would  you  think  it  a  sin,"  he  said, 
with  a  peculiar  look  at  Sam,  "  to  drive  a  nail  into 
the  cable  so  as  to  destroy  it,  if  you  were  offered  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  said  Sam,  looking  at  his 
conductor  with  surprise.  "  I  wonder  that  you  should 
ask  the  question." 

"  Why  should  you  wonder,"  returned  the  man 
with  a  smile,  "  at  any  question  which  aims  at  the 
investigation  of  that  great  enigma  styled  the  human 
mind  ?  I  am  fond  of  the  study  of  character,  and  of 
those  principles  of  good  and  evil  which  influence 
men.  Under  given  circumstances  and  conditions, 
the  commission  of  a  certain  sin  is  greatly  more 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  S3 5 

blameworthy  than  the  commission  of  the  same  sin 
under  different  conditions  and  circumstances.  Do 
you  not  think  so  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  said  Sam.  "The  man  who,  having 
been  born  and  brought  up  among  pickpockets,  and 
under  strong  temptation  commits  a  theft,  is  not 
nearly  so  guilty  as  the  man  would  be  who,  having 
been  trained  under  refined  and  Christian  influences, 
should  commit  a  similar  theft ;  but  I  do  not  see  the 
application  of  your  argument,  for  your  question  did 
not  refer  to  the  relative  depth  of  guilt,  but  to  the 
sinfulness  or  innocence  of  a  certain  dastardly  act 
for  a  tempting  sum  of  money." 

"I  may  not  have  put  my  question  very  philo- 
sophically," returned  the  stranger,  "  but  I  would  like 
to  have  your  opinion  as  to  whether  you  think,  under 
any  circumstances  of  distress — poverty,  for  instance, 
with  those  dependent  on  one  dying  of  hunger — a 
man  would  be  justified  in  destroying  the  power  of  a 
telegraph  cable  for  a  sum  of  money — part,  let  us 
suppose,  paid  in  advance,  and  the  remainder  after 
the  deed  had  been  accomplished." 

"  My  opinion  is  that  no  circumstances  whatever 
would  justify  such  an  act,"  said  Sam  with  indigna- 
tion.    "  Don't  you  agree  with  me,  Eobin  ? " 

"Of  course  I  do,"  said  Eobin  with  even  greater 
indignation. 

"  And  /  quite  agree  with  you,  gentlemen,"  said 


3S6  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  stranger,  with  a  wider  smile  than  before ;  "  but 
I  like  to  have  mj  opinions  corroborated  or  com- 
bated by  other  minds.  We  have  now  reached  our 
destination  ;  please  follow  me,  and  stoop  a  little, 
for  the  ceiling  of  the  passage  is  rather  low,  and  the 
poor  people  here  cannot  afford  to  light  it. 

The  recent  discussion  had  diverted  Sam's  mind 
from  the  character  of  the  place  into  which  he  had 
been  led,  but  a  suspicion  which  had  been  growing 
now  assailed  him  forcibly. 

"  Keep  your  stick  handy,"  he  whispered  to  Eobin, 
at  the  same  time  grasping  more  firmly  a  stout 
cudgel  which  he  carried. 

These  precautions  seemed  needless,  however,  for 
the  stranger,  opening  with  a  latch-key  a  door  at 
the  further  end  of  the  dark  passage,  ushered  them 
into  a  dimly  lighted  room,  where  about  a  dozen 
men  were  seated  round  a  table  drinking  and 
smoking. 

The  men  rose  on  the  entrance  of  the  visitors  and 
received  them  with  courtesy. 

"  Mr.  Davis  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  sir,"  said  one  ; 
"  he  has  been  in  much  anxiety,  but  here  he  comes 
and  will  speak  for  himself." 

A  door  at  the  other  end  of  the  room  opened,  and 
a  tall  slightly-built  man  entered.     Sam  saw  at  once 
that  he  was  not  Davis. 
-    "  Fool ! "  growled  this  man,  with  a  savage  look 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  337 

at  tlie  stranger  who  had  conducted  them  there, 
"  you  have  brought  the  wrong  man  !  " 

"  I  had  already  begun  to  suspect  as  much,"  re- 
turned the  other,  with  a  light  laugh. 

Swallowing  his  disgust,  apparently,  with  an 
effort,  the  slim  man  turned  to  Sam  and  said,  "  A 
mistake  has  been  made,  sir.  One  or  two  of  my 
friends  here  will  conduct  you  to  any  part  of  the 
city  you  may  wish  to  go  to." 

"  I  require  no  assistance,"  said  Sam,  flushing 
with  sudden  indignation.  "  I  believe  that  you  are 
conspirators,  and  will  take  particular  note  of  your 
dwelling,  in  order  that  I  may  spoil  your  game." 

He  was  about  to  turn  and  quit  the  room,  when 
he  was  suddenly  seized  from  behind  by  two  power- 
ful men,  who  seemed  to  have  come  on  the  scene 
by  rising  through  the  floor  !  At  the  same  moment 
Eobin  was  similarly  secured.  They  did  not,  how- 
ever, submit  tamely.  Both  were  strong-bodied  as 
well  as  high-spirited,  and  Sam  was  large  as  well  as 
strong. 

But  what  were  their  powers  against  such  odds  ! 
For  a  few  seconds  they  struggled  furiously.  Then, 
feeling  that  their  efforts  were  fruitless,  they  ceased. 

"It  is  as  well  to  go  quietly,  my  fine  fellows," 
said  the  slim  man  in  a  slightly  sarcastic  tone. 
"  We  are  not  only  more  than  a  match  for  you,  but 
we  happen  to  belong  to  a  class  of  gentlemen  who 


338  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

don't  allow  trifles  to  stand  in  their  way.  At  the 
same  time  we  object  to  murder  when  we  can  get 
along  without  it. '  Some  of  us  will  therefore  con- 
duct you  to  another  part  of  the  city.  Now,  I  give 
you  fair  warning,  if  you  struggle  or  try  to  make 
a  noise  on  the  way,  we  will  silence  you  in  a  manner 
that  will  effectually  keep  you  quiet  for  ever.  Just 
have  your  knives  handy,  men,  and  don't  exercise 
forbearance  if  these  gentlemen  turn  out  to  be  fools." 

A  prick  in  their  necks  by  the  point  of  some 
sharp  instrument  emphasised  these  words  to  Eobin 
and  Sam,  and,  at  the  same  time,  proved  that  the 
subordinates  were  quite  ready,  perhaps  even  anxious, 
to  obey  their  superior.  They  suffered  themselves, 
therefore,  to  be  blindfolded,  and  led  out  of  the  house. 

Of  course  once  or  twice  they  both  thought  of 
making  a  sudden  struggle  and  endeavouring  to 
throw  off  their  captors,  but  the  vice-like  strength 
of  the  fingers  that  held  them,  and  the  recollection 
T)f  the  sharp  instruments  near  their  necks  induced 
discretion ;  besides,  the  absence  of  the  sound  of 
footsteps  told  them  that  they  could  not  count 
on  aid  from  passers-by,  even  if  the  dwellers  in  such 
a  region  had  been  willing  to  assist  them,  which 
was  not  probable. 

After  passing  quickly  along  several  streets,  the 
men  who  led  them  stopped  and  relaxed  their 
hold. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  339 

"  Now,  you  stand  quiet  for  half  a  minute,"  said 
one  of  them  gruffly ;  "  there 's  a  knife  close  to  each 
of  your  spines  at  this  moment." 

Thus  warned,  the  captives  stood  still  for  nearly  a 
minute.    Then  Sam  lost  patience. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  angrily,  "  how  long  do  you  mean 
to  keep  us  here  ?" 

Keceiving  no  reply,  he  suddenly  pulled  the  hand- 
kerchief from  his  eyes  and  assumed  the  pugilistic 
attitude  with  the  celerity  of  one  whose  life  may 
depend  on  his  action,  but  the  only  enemy  to  be 
seen  was  Eobin,  who,  having  also  pulled  down  the 
handkerchief,  stood  staring  at  his  comrade  in  mute 
surprise. 

"They  're  gone  !"  cried  Sam,  bursting  into  a  fit  of 
laughtQf,  "The  villains  !  The  scoundrels  !  But  who 
can  they  be  ?  I  fear  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to 
what  mischief  they  are  up  to." 

"We  have  not  the  smallest  clew  to  trace  them 
by,"  said  Eobin,  with  a  vexed  expression. 

"  Not  the  smallest.  I  don't  even  know  what 
quarter  of  the  town  we  are  in  now,"  returned  Sam. 

"  The  handkerchiefs  !  "  exclaimed  Eobin  with 
sudden  animation. 

"  Well,  what  of  them  ? " 

"  They — they  may  have  names  in  the  coruprs." 

Again  the  risible  Sam  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  as 
the  idea  of  scoundrels  possessing  any  handkerchieft 


340  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

of  their  own  at  all,  mucli  less  having  their  names 
marked  in  the  corners ;  and  poor  Eobin,  whose  me- 
mories of  maternal  care  had  prompted  tne  thought, 
felt  some  degree  of  confusion,  which  was  deepened 
when  he  discovered  that  the  kerchiefs  with 
which  their  eyes  had  been  bound  were  their 
own. 

They  were  startled  by  a  gruff  voice  demanding  to 
know  what  they  were  laughing  at  and  kicking  up 
such  a  row  at  that  time  of  the  morninsr ! 

o 

It  was  one  of  the  guardians  of  the  night,  who 
became  very  polite  on  drawing  nearer  and  being  in- 
formed, in  a  mild  voice,  by  Sam  that  they  had  lost 
their  way  and  would'  be  much  indebted  for  guid- 
ance, for  Sam  thought  it  best  to  say  nothing  about 
their  adventure  until  they  had  had  ample  time  to 
think  it  over  and  decide  what  was  best  to  be  done. 

Having  been  directed  how  to  go,  having  lost 
themselves  a  second  time,  and  been  directed  again 
by  another  guardian,  they  found  themselves  at  last 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  port,  and  here  the 
sound  of  loud  voices,  as  if  engaged  in  some  noc- 
turnal orgies,  was  heard  in  the  distance. 

"  As  we  seem  in  for  a  night  of  adventure,"  said 
Sam,  "  we  may  as  well  accept  our  fate  and  go  see 
what  it 's  all  about," 

"  Agreed,"  said  Eobin. 

Iturrying  forward,  they  came  upon  a  remarkable 


THE  BATTEr.Y  AND  THE  BOILER.  3 11 

and  picturesque  scene.  The  engineers  of  the  Great 
Eastern  had  chosen  the  previous  day  for  the  laying 
of  the  mile  of  land-line  with  which  the  cable  was  to 
be  connected.  The  burying  of  it  in  its  appointed 
home  had  commenced  at  half-past  six  in  the  even- 
ing and  had  continued  all  through  the  night.  It 
was  about  2  a.m.  when  our  adventurers  came  upon 
the  scene.  The  trench  was  cut  through  ground  on 
which  a  number  of  soldiers  were  encamped,  whose 
white  tents  looked  ghostlike  in  the  feeble  star- 
light, and  lines  of  naked  natives  were  seen,  waving 
lanterns,  pushing  along  the  mysterious  cable,  or, 
with  hands  and  feet  busily  pressing  down  the  loose 
soil  that  covered  the  buried  portion. 

The  whole  operation  was  conducted  with  a  super- 
abundance of  noise,  for  the  burying  of  a  rope  in  a 
a  trench  three  feet  deep  was  in  itself  such  a 
tremendous  joke  to  the  coolies,  that  they  entered 
upon  it  with  much  excitement  as  a  sort  of 
unusual  piece  of  fun.  That  they  were  in  some 
degree  also  impressed  with  the  mysterious  and  im- 
portant object  of  their  work  might  have  been 
gathered  from  their  chant : — "  Good  are  the  cable- 
wallahs,  great  are  their  names;  good  are  the 
cable- wallahs,  wah  !  wah  !  wah !  great  are  the  cable- 
wallahs,  wah !"  which  they  continued  without  in- 
termission all  through  the  night,  to  their  own 
intense  delight  and  to  the  annoyance  no  doubt  of 


342  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  military  unfortunates  who  were  encamped  on 
the  ground. 

Besides  the  naked  fellows  who,  in  their  excite- 
ment and  activity,  resembled  good-humoured,  brown 
demons,  there  were  many  other  figures  in  English 
dress  moving  about,  directing  and  encouraging, 
running  from  point  to  point,  flitting  to  and  fro  like 
wills-o'-the-wisp,  for  all  bore  lights,  and  plunged 
ever  and  anon  out  of  sight  in  the  trench.  Between 
three  and  four  o'clock  the  work  was  completed ; 
tests  were  taken,  the  portion  of  cable  was  pro- 
nounced perfect,  and  communication  was  thus 
established  between  the  cable-house  and  Eampart 
Eow.  This  was  the  first  link  in  the  great  chain  of 
submarine  telegraphy  between  India  and  England. 

"  Now,  Eobin,"  said  Sam,  with  a  tremendous  yawn, 
"  as  we  've  seen  the  first  act  in  the  play,  it  is  time, 
I  think,  to  go  home  to  bed." 

With  a  yawn  that  rivalled  that  of  his  comrade, 
Eobin  admitted  the  propriety  of  the  proposal,  and, 
half  an  hour  later,  they  turned  in,  to  sleep— 
"  perchance  to  dream !" 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  343 


CHAPTEE   XXVII. 

DESCRIBES   SEVERAL   IMPORTANT   EVENTS. 

The  laying  of  this  thick  shore-end  of  the  cable 
was  an  important  point  in  the  great  work. 

By  that  time  Eobin  and  cousin  Sam  had  been 
regularly  installed  as  members  of  the  expedition, 
and  were  told  off  with  many  others  to  assist  at  the 
operation. 

The  Chiltern  carried  the  great  coil  in  her  tanks. 
After  rounding  Colaba  Point  into  Back  Bay,  she 
found  a  barge  waiting  to  receive  some  two-and-a- 
half  miles  of  the'  cable,  with  which  she  was  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  shore.  The  barge  resembled  a  huge 
Noah's  Ark,  having  a  canvas  awning  to  protect  the 
cable,  which  was  very  sensitive  to  heat. 

A  measure  of  anxiety  is  natural  at  the  begin- 
ning of  most  enterprises,  and  there  were  some  who 
dreaded  a  "  hitch  "  with  superstitious  fear,  as  if  it 
would  be  a  bad  omen.     But  all  went  well. 

"  Now  then,  boys — shove  her  along ;  push  her 
through,"   said   an  experienced  leader  among  the 


344  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

cable-hancls,  who  grasped  the  great  coil  and  guided 
it.  Tlie  men  took  up  the  words  at  once,  and,  to 
this  species  of  spoken  chorus,  "  shove  her  along, 
push  her  through,"  the  snaky  coil  was  sent  rattling 
over  the  pulley-wheels  hy  the  tank  and  along  the 
wooden  gutter  prepared  for  it,  to  the  paying-out 
wheel  at  the  Chiltern's  stern,  whence  it  plunged 
down  into  the  barge,  where  other  experienced  hands 
coiled  it  carefully  round  and  round  the  entire  deck. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  almost  tender  solici- 
tude with  which  all  this  was  done.  The  cable  was 
passed  carefully — so  carefully — through  all  the  huge 
staples  that  were  to  direct  its  course  from  the  fore- 
tank  to  the  wheel  at  the  stern.  Then  it  was  made 
to  pass  over  a  wheel  here  and  under  a  wheel  there, 
to  restrain  its  impetuosity,  besides  being  passed 
three  times  round  a  drum,  which  controlled  the 
paying  out.  A.  man  stood  ready  at  a  wheel,  which, 
by  a  few  rapid  turns,  could  bring  the  whole  affair 
to  a  standstill  should  anything  go  wrong.  In  the 
fore-tank  eight  men  guided  each  coil  to  prevent 
entanglement,  and  on  deck  men  were  stationed  a 
few  feet  apart  all  along  to  the  stern,  to  watch  every 
foot  as  it  passed  out.  Three  hours  completed  the 
transfer.  Then  the  barge  went  slowly  shoreward, 
dropping  the  cable  into  the  sea  as  she  went. 

It  was  quite  a  solemn  procession  !  First  went  a 
Government  steam-tug,  flaunting  flags  from   deck 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  345 

to  trucks  as  thick  as  they  could  hang.  Then  came 
the  barge  with  her  precious  cargo.  Then  two  boats 
full  of  cable-hands,  and  an  official  gig  pulled  by  a 
Chinaman,  while  the  steam-launch  Electric  kept 
buzzing  about  as  if  superintending  all. 

When  the  tug  had  drawn  the  barge  shoreward  as 
far  as  she  could  with  safety,  the  smaller  "  Electric  " 
took  her  place.  When  she  also  had  advanced  as 
far  as  her  draught  allowed,  a  boat  carried  to  the 
shore  a  hawser,  one  end  of  which  was  attached  to 
the  cable.  Then  the  cable-hands  dropped  over  the 
sides  of  the  barge  up  to  waist,  chest,  or  neck  (ac- 
cording to  size),  and,  ranging  themselves  on  either 
Bide  of  the  rope  and  cable,  dragged  the  latter  to  the 
shore,  up  the  trench  made  for  its  reception,  and 
laid  its  end  on  the  great  stone  table,  where  it  was 
made  fast,  tested  by  the  electricians,  as  we  have 
said,  and  pronounced  perfect. 

A  few  more  days  had  to  pass  before  the  insati- 
able Great  Eastern  was  filled  with  coal  and  reported 
ready  for  sea.  Then,  as'  a  matter  of  course,  she 
wound  up  with  a  grand  feast — a  luncheon — on 
board,  at  which  many  of  the  leading  authorities 
and  merchants  of  Bombay  were  present,  with  a 
brilliant  company  which  entirely  filled  the  spacious 
saloons. 

"  Owing  to  circumstances,"  said  Sam  to  Eobin 
that  day,  "  over  which  we  have  no  control,  you  and 


346  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

I  cannot  be  included  among  the  guests  at  tLis  ap- 
proaching feast." 

"  I  'm  sorry  for  that,  Sam,"  said  our  hero. 

"Why  so,  Kobin?  Does  a  morbid  devotion  to 
chicken  and  ham,  or  sweets,  influence  you  ? " 

"  Not  at  all,  though  I  make  no  pretence  of  indif- 
ference to  such  things,  but  I  should  so  much  like  to 
hear  the  speeches." 

"  Well,  my  boy,  your  desire  shall  be  gratified. 
Through  the  influence  of  our,  I  might  almost  say 
miraculous,  friend,  Frank  Hedley,  we  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  witness  the  proceedings  from  a  retired 
corner  of  the  saloon,  in  company  with  crockery  and 
waiters  and  other  debris  of  the  feast." 

At  the  appointed  time  the  company  assembled, 
and  enjoyed  as  good  a  luncheon  as  money  could 
procure. 

"  How  some  people  do  eat ! "  murmured  Kobin 
from  his  corner  to  Sam,  who  sat  beside  him. 

*'  Yes,  for  it  is  their  nature  to,"  replied  Sam. 

After  the  first  toast  was  drunk  the  company 
braced  themselves  to  the  mental  work  of  the  after- 
noon, and  although,  as  a  matter  of  course,  a  good 
deal  of  twaddle  was  spoken,  there  was  also  much 
that  threw  light  on  the  subject  of  ocean  telegraphy. 
One  of  the  leading  merchants  said,  in  his  opening 
remarks :  "Few  of  those  present,  I  daresay,  are  really 
familiar  with  the  history  of  ocean  telegraphy." 


""  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  347 

"  Ah !"  whispered  Eobin  to  Sam,  "  that 's  the 
man  for  me.  He 's  sure  to  tell  us  a  good  deal  that 
we  don't  know,  and  although  I  have  been  ransacking 
Bombay  ever  since  I  arrived  for  information,  I  don't 
yet  feel  that  I  know  much," 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  Eobin,  and  listen,"  said  Sam. 

"Mind  your  foot,  sir,"  remonstrated  one  of  the 
steward's  assistants,  who  had  a  lugubrious  coun- 
tenance. 

Eobin  took  his  foot  out  of  a  soup  tureen,  and 
applied  himself  to  listen. 

"  When  I  reflect,"  continued  the  merchant,  "  that 
it  is  now  fourteen  years  since  the  first  ocean  tele- 
graph of  any  importance  was  laid, — when  I  re- 
member that  the  first  cable  was  laid  after  an 
infinity  of  personal  effort  on  the  part  of  those  who 
had  to  raise  the  capital, — when  I  mention  that  it 
was  really  a  work  of  house-to-house  visitation,  when 
sums  of  £500  to  £1000,  and  even  £10,000  were 
raised  by  private  subscription,  with  a  view  to  laying 
a  telegraph  cable  between  England  and  America, 
when  I  reflect  that  the  Queen's  Government  granted 
the  use  of  one  of  its  most  splendid  vessels,  the 
Agamemnon  (Hear  !  hear  !  and  applause),  and  that 
the  American  Government  granted  the  use  of  an 
equally  fine  vessel,  the  Niagara  {Rear  !  hear  !  and 
another  round  of  applause,  directed  at  the  American 
Consul,  who  was  present),— 


348  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

("  Five  glasses  smashed  that  round,"  growled  the 
lugabrious  waiter.) 

"  When  I  reflect,"  continued  the  merchant,  "  that 
the  expedition  set  out  in  1857  with  the  greatest 
hopefulness,  but  proved  a  total  failure — that  the 
earnest  men  {Hear  !  hear  f)  connected  with  it  again 
set  to  work  the  following  year,  and  laid  another 
cable  (Applause),  which,  after  passing  through  it  a 
few  messages  of  great  importance  to  England  and 
America  (Hear  !)  also  ceased  communication,  which 
so  damped  the  courage  of  all  concerned,  that  for 
seven  or  eight  weary  years  nothing  was  attempted 
— no,  I  should  not  say  nothing,  for  during  that 
period  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  (thunders  of  long-continued 
applause,  during  which  the  lugubrious  waiter  counted 
the  demolition  of  six  glasses  and  two  dessert  plates), 
without  whose  able  and  persevering  advocacy  it  is 
a  question  whether  to  this  day  we  should  have  had 
ocean  telegraphy  carried  out  at  all — during  that 
period,  I  say,  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  never  gave  himself 
rest  until  he  had  inspired  others  with  some  of  the 
enthusiasm  that  burned  so  brightly  in  himself, 
which  resulted  in  the  renewed  effort  of  1865,  with 
its  failure  and  loss  of  1213  miles  of  cable, — when  I 
think  of  the  indomitable  pluck  and  confidence  shown 
by  such  men  as  Thomas  Brassey,  Sir  Samuel  Canning, 
Sir  James  Anderson,  Sir  Daniel  Gooch,  Sir  Eichard 
Glass,    Mr.    George    Elliot.    Mr,   Pender,    Captain 


THE  BATTErxY  AND  THE  BOILER,  349 

Sherard  Osborn,  and  others — men  of  mind,  and  men 
of  capital,  and  men  who  could  see  no  difficulties — 
and  I  like  men  who  can  see  no  difficulties  {Hear  ! 
hear  !  and  loud  applause), — 

("  You  '11  see  more  difficulties  than  ye  bargain  for, 
if  ye  go  through  life  makin'  people  smash  crockery 
like  that,"  growled  the  lugubrious  waiter.) 

"  When  I  think  of  these  men,  and  of  the  formation 
of  the  Telegraph  Construction  and  ]\iaintenance 
Company  {Applause),  and  the  successful  laying  of 
the  1866  cable,  and  the  picking  up  and  completion 
of  the  old  cable  {Loud  cheers), — 

("  Hm  !  a  decanter  gone  this  time.  Will  you 
take  your  foot  out  of  the  soup  tureen,  sir,"  from  the 
lugubrious  man,  and  an  impatient  "  hush !"  from 
Eobin.) 

"  When  I  think  of  all  these  things,  and  a  great 
deal  more  that  I  cannot  venture  to  inflict  on  the 
indulgent  company  {Go  on!)  I  feel  that  the  toast 
which  I  have  the  honour  to  propose  deserves  a 
foremost  place  in  the  toasts  of  the  day,  and  that  you 
will  heartily  respond  to  it,  namely,  Success  to  tlie 
Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Company, 
for  that  Company  has  laid  scores  of  cables  since 
its  formation,  and  has  now  successfully  commenced, 
and  will  doubtless  triumphantly  complete,  the  laying 
of  the  cable  which  we  have  met  to  celebrate  to-day 
—the  fourth  great  enterprise,  I  may  remark,  which 


350  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  Company  has  undertaken — the  cable  that  is 
soon  to  connect  India  with  England." 

The  merchant  sat  down  amid  thunders  of  ap- 
plause, during  which  the  reckoning  of  breakages 
was  lost,  and  finally  abandoned  by  the  lugubrious 
waiter. 

At  first  Eobin  and  Sam  listened  with  great  interest 
and  profound  attention,  and  the  former  treasured  in 
his  memory,  or  made  pencil  notes  of,  such  facts  and 
expectations  as  the  following : — That  only  nine 
months  previously  had  they  commenced  the  con- 
struction of  the  cable  which  was  now  about  to  be 
laid  ;  that  Captain  Halpin  in  the  Great  Eastern  had 
laid  the  French  Atlantic  cable  ;  that  in  a  few  weeks 
tliey  hoped  to  connect  Bombay  with  Malta,  and  two 
months  later  with  England;  that,  a  few  months 
after  that,  England  would  be  connected  with  the 
Straits  of  Malacca  and  Singapore.  "  In  short,"  said 
one  gentleman  at  the  close  of  his  speech,  "  we  hope 
tliat  in  1871  India  will  be  connected,  chiefly  by 
submarine  telegraph,  with  Cliina,  Australia,  Europe, 
and  America,  and  that  your  morning  messages  will 
reach  home  about  the  same  hour  at  which  they  are 
sent  from  here,  allowing,  of  course,  for  the  difference 
in  time ;  and  that  afternoon  and  evening  messages 
from  Europe  will  be  in  your  hands  at  an  early  hour 
next  morning." 

At  this  point  the  heat  and   unpleasant   fumes 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  351 

around  him  began  to  tell  upon  Eobin,  and  he 
suggested  that  they  had  better  go  on  deck  for  a  little 
fresh  air. 

"  I  '11  not  budge,"  said  Sam,  positively.  "  Why, 
the  best  is  yet  to  come." 

Saying  this,  to  the  surprise  of  Eobin,  Sam  rose, 
went  forward  to  the  table,  and  asked  permission  to 
make  a  few  remarks. 

"Who  is  he? — what?  eh!"  exclaimed  the  chair- 
man. "  Turn  him  out,"  cried  one.  "  Sit  down," 
cried  another.  "No,  no,  let  him  speak,"  cried  a 
third.  "  Don't  y£u  know  it  is  Samuel  Shipton,  the 
great  electrician  ?" 

"  Bravo  !  go  on  !  speak  out !"  cried  several  voices, 
accompanied  by  loud  applause. 

"  Gentlemen,"  began  Sam  in  his  softest  voice,  "  I 
regard  this  as  one  of  the  greatest  occasions  of — 
of — my  life"  {Hear!  hear!  from  a  fussy  guest ;  and 
Hush  !  hush  I  and  then  we  shall  hear  here  better, 
from  an  angry  one).  "  I  little  thought,"  continued 
Sam,  warming  apparently  with  his  subject — or  the 
heat,  "  little  thought  that  on  this  great  occasion  I 
could — could —  I  could  (would  or  should ;  go  on, 
man,  from  an  impatient  guest). 

"  Oh,  Sam,  don't  stick  !"  cried  Eobin,  in  an  agony 
of  anxiety. 

"Who's  that  ?  Put  him  out !"  chorused  several, 
voices  indimanUv. 


352  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

"  There,  sir,  you  've  put  your  foot  in  it  at  last," 
said  the  lugubrious  waiter. 

Eobin  thought  he  referred  to  the  interruption, 
but  the  waiter's  eyes  and  forefinger  directed  his 
attention  to  the  soup  tureen,  which,  in  his  eagerness, 
he  had  sacrificed  with  a  stamp.  Finding  that  no 
farther  notice  was  taken  of  the  interruption,  he 
listened,  while  Sam  continued  : — 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  I  have  some  difficulty  in  start- 
ing, but,  once  set  agoing,  gentlemen,  I  can  keep  on 
like  an  alarum  clock.  What  nonsense  have  some 
of  you  fellows  been  talking!  Sotne  of  you  have 
remarked  that  you  shall  be  able  to  exchange 
messages  with  England  in  a  few  hours.  Allow  me 
to  assure  you  that  before  long  you  will  accomplish 
that  feat  in  a  few  minutes." 

"  Pooh  !  pooh  !"  ejaculated  an  irascible  old  gentle- 
man with  a  bald  head. 

"  Did  you  say  '  pooh  !*  sir?"  demanded  Sam,  with 
a  terrible  frown. 

"I  did,  sir,"  replied  the  old  gentleman,  with  a 
contemptuous  smile. 

"  Then,  sir,  take  that." 

Sam  hurled  a  wine  decanter  at  the  old  gentleman, 
which,  missing  its  mark,  fell  with  a  loud  crash  at 
the  feet  of  Eobin,  who  awoke  with  a  start  to  find 
Sam  shaking  him  by  the  arm. 

"  Wake  up,  Robin,"  he  said ;  "  man,  you  've  lost  the 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  353 

best  speech  of  the  evening.  Come — come  on  deck 
now,  you  've  had  qnite  enough  of  it." 

"  Yes,  an'  done  enough  o'  damage  too,"  growled 
the  higubrious  waiter. 

So  Eobin  became  gradually  aware  that  Sam's 
speech  was  a  mere  fancy,  while  the  smashing  of  the 
soup  tureen  was  a  hard  fact. 

It  may  not,  however,  be  out  of  place  to  remark 
here  that  the  prophecy  made  by  Sam  in  JJobiir's 
dream,  did  afterwards  become  a  great  reality. 


354  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


THE   CABLE   LArD. 


"  I  SAY,  Robin,"  said  Samuel  Shipton,  as  he  en- 
countered our  hero  and  Slagg  that  same  evening  in 
the  streets  of  Bombay,  "  the  government  land  tele- 
graph was  reported  this  morning  to  have  recovered 
its  health." 

"  Well,  what  of  that  V 

"  I  have  taken  advantage  of  the  lucid  interval  to 
send  a  telegram  to  uncle  Rik.  No  doubt  your 
father  has  by  this  time  received  the  telegram  we 
sent  announcing  our  safety  and  arrival  here,  so  this 
one  won't  take  them  by  surprise." 

"  But  what  is  it  about  ?"  asked  Robin. 

"  It  is  sent,"  replied  Sam,  "  with  the  intention  of 
tjonverting  uncle  Rik  into  a  thief- catcher.  That 
stupid  waiter  told  me  only  this  morning  that  the 
time  he  followed  Stumps  to  the  harbour,  he  over- 
heard a  sailor  conversing  with  him  "and  praising  a 
certain  tavern  named  the  Tartar,  near  London  Bridge, 
to  which  he   promised  to  introduce   him  on  their 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  355 

arrival  in  England ;  so  it  struck  me  tliat  by  tele- 
graphing to  uncle  Itik  to  find  out  the  owners  of  the 
Fairy  Queen  and  the  position  of  the  Tartar,  he 
might  lay  hold  of  Stumps  on  his  arrival  and  recover 
our  stolen  property." 

"  But  I  hope  he  won't  put  him  in  limbo,  sir,"  said 
Jim  Slagg.  "  I  've  no  objection  to  recover  our  pro- 
perty, but  somehow  I  don't  like  to  have  the  poor 
fellow  transported.  You  see  I  can't  help  thinkin' 
he  was  half- cracked  when  he  did  it." 

"He  must  take  his  chance,  I  suppose,"  said  Sam, 
thoughtfully.  "  However,  the  telegram  is  off,  and, 
if  it  ever  reaches  him,  uncle  Eik  will  act  with 
discretion." 

"  I  agree  with  Jim,"  said  Eobin,  "  and  should  be 
sorry  to  be  the  means  of  ruining  our  old  comrade." 

"  It  did  not  strike  me  in  that  light,"  returned  Sam, 
a  little  troubled  at  the  thought.  "  But  it  can't  be 
helped  now.  In  any  case  I  suppose  he  could  not 
be  tried  till  we  appear  as  witnesses  against  him." 

"  I  ain't  much  of  a  lawyer,"  said  Slagg,  "  but  it  do 
seem  to  me  that  they  couldn't  very  well  take  him 
up  without  some  proof  that  the  property  wasn't  his." 

"  It  may  be  so,"  returned  Sam  ;  "  we  shall  see 
when  we  get  home.  Meanwhile  it  behoves  us  to 
square  up  here,  for  the  Great  Eastern  starts  early 
to-morrow  and  we  must  be  on  board  ir  good  time 
to-night" 


356  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Now,  you  must  not  imagine,  good  reader,  that  we 
intend  to  drag  you  a  second  time  through  all  the 
details  of  laying  a  deep-sea  cable.  The  process  of 
laying  was  much  the  same  in  its  general  principles 
as  that  already  described,  but  of  course  marked  by 
all  the  improvements  in  machinery,  etc.,  which  time 
and  experience  had  suggested.  Moreover,  the  laying 
of  the  Indian  cable  was  eminentlj'-,  we  might  almost 
say  monotonously,  successful,  and,  consequently, 
devoid  of  stirring  incident.  We  shall  therefore 
merely  touch  on  one  or  two  features  of  interest 
connected  with  it,  and  then  pass  on  to  the  more 
important  incidents  of  our  story. 

When  Eobin  and  his  comrades  drew  near  to  the 
big  ship,  she  was  surrounded  by  a  perfect  fleet  of 
native  boats,  whose  owners  were  endeavouring  to 
persuade  the  sailors  to  purchase  bananas  and  other 
fruits  and  vegetables ;  paroquets,  sticks,  monkeys, 
and  fancy  wares. 

Next  morning,  the  14th  of  February  1870,  the 
Great  Eastern  lifted  her  mighty  anchor,  and  spliced 
the  end  of  the  2375  miles  of  cable  she  had  on  board 
to  the  shore-end,  which  had  been  laid  by  the  Chiltern. 
This  splice  was  effected  in  the  presence  of  tlie 
Governor  of  Bombay,  Sir  Seymour  Fitzgerald,  who, 
with  a  small  party,  accompanied  the  Great' Eastern 
a  short  distance  on  its  way.  Then,  embarking  in 
his  yacht,  they  bade  God-speed  to  the  expedition, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  357 

gave  them  three  ringing  cheers,  and  the  voyage  to 
Aden  began. 

Soon  the  cable-layers  were  gliding  merrily  over 
the  bright  blue  sea  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  knots  an 
hour,  with  the  cable  going  quietly  over  the  stern, 
the  machinery  working  smoothly,  the  electrical  con- 
dition of  the  cable  improving  as  the  sea  deepened, 
and  flocks  of  flying-fish  hovering  over  the  crisp  and 
curly  waves,  as  if  they  were  specially  interested  in 
the  expedition,  and  wished  to  bear  it  company. 

All  went  well,  yet  were  they  well  prepared  for 
accident  or  disaster,  as  Sam  informed  Eobin  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th  while  sitting  at  breakfast. 

"  They  have  got  two  gongs,  as  you  've  observed, 
no  doubt,"  he  said,  "  which  are  never  to  be  sounded 
except  when  mischief  is  brewing.  The  first  intima- 
tion of  fault  or  disaster  will  be  a  note  from  one  of 
these  gongs,  wlien  the  ship  will  be  instantly  stopped, 
the  brakes  put  on,  and  the  engines  reversed." 

"  Everything  is  splendidly  prepared  and  provided 
for,"  said  Eobin  ;  "  hand  me  the  sugar,  Sam." 

"  The  elasticity  and  good  behaviour  of  the  big 
ship  are  all  that  could  be  desired,"  remarked  one  of 
the  engineers,  "though  slie  carries  3000  tons  more 
dead- weight  than  when  she  started  with  the  Atlantic 
cable  in  1865." 

At  that  moment  there  was  a  lull  of  consternation 
round  the  breakfast-table,  for  a  drumming  upon  metal 


358  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

was  heard !  For  one  instant  there  was  a  gaze  of 
doubt  round  the  table.  Then  they  rose  en  masse ; 
cups  were  upset,  and  chairs  thrown  over ;  the  cabin 
was  crossed  at  racing  speed, — Captain  Halpin  leading 
— the  staircase  surmounted,  and  a  rush  made  to  the 
testing-room. 

There  all  was  quiet  and  orderly ;  the  operators 
placidly  pursuing  their  labours,  working  out  their 
calculations,  or  watching  the  tell-tale  spot  of  light 
on  the  scale,  and  all  looking  up  in  silent  surprise 
at  the  sudden  hubbub  round  their  door.  It  was  a 
false  alarm,  caused  by  the  steady  dripping  of  a 
shower-bath  on  its  metal  bottom !  That  was  all, 
but  it  was  sufficient  to  prove  how  intensely  men 
were  on  the  qui  vive. 

It  was  a  wonderful  scene,  the  deck  of  the  Great 
Eastern — incomprehensible  by  those  who  have  not 
seen  it.  The  cabins,  offices,  workshops,  and 
machinery  formed  a  continuous  line  of  buildings  up 
the  centre  of  the  vessel's  deck,  dividing  it  into  two 
streets  an  eighth  of  a  mile  long.  At  the  end  of  one 
of  these  were  the  wheels  and  drums  running  from  the 
top  of  the  aft-tank  to  the  stern  ;  and  between  them 
and  the  two  thoroughfares  were  wooden  houses 
which  shut  them  out  from  view.  There  was  a  farm- 
yard also,  where  cattle  were  regularly  turned  out 
for  exercise ;  there  were  goats  which  were  allowed 
to  go  free  about  the  decks,  and  chickens  which  took 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.       359 

the  liberty  of  doing  so,  sometimes,  without  leave ; 
there  were  parrots  being  taken  home  by  the  sailors, 
which  shrieked  their  opinions  noisily ;  and  there 
were  numerous  monkeys,  which  gambolled  in  mis- 
chievous fun,  or  sat  still,  the  embodiment  of  ludi- 
crous despair  :  while,  intermingling  with  the  general 
noise  could  be  heard  the  rattle  of  the  paying-out 
wheels,  as  the  cable  passed  with  solemn  dignity  and 
unvarying  persistency  over  the  stern  into  the  sea. 
It  seemed  almost  unheeded,  so  perfect  and  self- 
acting  was  the  machinery ;  but  it  was,  never- 
theless, watched  by  keen  sleepless  eyes — as  the 
mouse  is  watched  by  the  cat — night  and  day. 

The  perfection  not  only  achieved  but  expected, 
was  somewhat  absurdly  brought  out  by  the  elec- 
trician in  the  cable-house  at  Bombay,  who  one  day 
complained  to  the  operators  on  board  the  Great 
Eastern  that  the  reply  to  one  of  his  questions  had 
been  from  three  to  twelve  seconds  late  !  It  must 
be  understood,  however,  that  although  the  testing 
of  the  cable  went  on  continuously  during  the  whole 
voyage,  the  sending  of  messages  was  not  frequent, 
as  that  interfered  with  the  general  work.  Accord- 
ingly, communication  with  the  shore  was  limited  to 
a  daily  statement  from  the  ship  of  her  position  at 
noon,  and  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  same  by 
the  electrician  at  Bombay. 

One  of  the  greatest  dangers  in  paying  out  consists 


360  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

in  changing  from  tank  to  tank  when  one  is  emptied, 
and  a  full  one  has  to  be  commenced.  This  was 
always  an  occasion  of  great  interest  and  anxiety. 

About  midnight  of  the  19  th  the  change  to  the 
fore-tank  was  made,  and  nearly  every  soul  in  the 
ship  turned  out  to  see  it.  The  moon  was  partially 
obscured,  but  darkness  was  made  visible  by  a 
row  of  lanterns  hung  at  short  intervals  along  the 
trough  through  which  the  cable  was  to  be  passed, 
making  the  ship  look  inconceivably  long.  As 
Eobin  Wright  hurried  along  the  deck  he  observed 
that  both  port  and  starboard  watches  were  on  duty 
hid  in  the  deep  shadow  of  the  wheels,  or  standing 
by  the  bulwark,  ready  for  action.  Traversing  the 
entire  length  of  the  deck — past  the  houses  of  the 
sheep  and  pigs ;  past  the  great  life-boats ;  past  the 
half-closed  door  of  the  testing-room,  where  the 
operators  maintained  their  unceasing  watch  in  a 
flood  Oi  light ;  past  the  captain's  cabin,  a  species 
of  land- mark  or  half-way  house ;  past  a  group  of 
cows  and  goats  lying  on  the  deck  chewing  the  cud 
peacefully,  and  past  offices  and  deck-cabins  too 
numerous  to  mention, — he  came  at  last  to  the  fore- 
tank,  which  was  so  full  of  cable  that  the  hands 
ready  to  act,  and  standing  on  the  upper  coil,  had 
to  stoop  to  save  their  heads  from  the  deck 
above. 

The  after-tank,  on  the  contrary,  was  by  that  time 


THE  LAST  COIL.— Page  361. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  3G1 

a  huge  yawning  pit,  twenty-five  feet  deep,  lighted 
by  numerous  swinging  lamps  like  a  subterranean 
church,  with  its  hands,  like  Lillijaitians,  attending 
to  the  last  coil  of  the  cable.  That  coil  or  layer  was 
full  four  miles  long,  but  it  would  soon  run  out, 
therefore  all  was  in  readiness.  The  captain  was 
giving  directions  in  a  low  voice,  and  seeing  that 
every  one  was  in  his  place.  The  chiefs  of  the 
engineers  and  electricians  were  on  the  alert.  Every 
few  minutes  a  deep  voice  from  below  announced 
the  number  of  "  turns "  before  the  last  one.  At 
last  the  operation  was  successfully  accomplished 
and  the  danger  past,  and  the  cable  was  soon  run- 
ning out  from  the  fore-tank  as  smoothly  as  it  had 
run  out  of  the  other. 

The  tendency  of  one  flake  or  coil  of  cable  to 
stick  to  the  coil  immediately  below,  and  produce  a 
wild  irremediable  entanglement  before  the  ship 
could  be  stopped,  was  another  danger,  but  these  and 
all  other  mishaps  of  a  serious  nature  were  escaped, 
and  the  unusually  prosperous  voyage  was  brought 
to  a  close  on  the  27th  of  February,  when  the  Great 
Eastern  reached  Aden  in  a  gale  of  wind — as  if  to 
remind  the  cable-layers  of  what  migJit  have  been 
— and  the  cable  was  cut  and  buoyed  in  forty 
fathoms  water. 

The  continuation  of  the  cable  up  the  Eed  Sea, 
the    successful    termination    of    the    great    enter- 


362  THE  BATTEIIY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

prise,  and  the  start  of  our  hero  and  his  com- 
panions for  Old  England  after  their  work  was  done, 
we  must  unwillingly  leave  to  the  reader's  imagina- 
tion- 


THE  BATTEIIY  AND  THE  BOILEIl.  363 


CHAPTEE   XXIX. 


DNCLE   RIK  S    ADVENTURES. 


Uncle  TvIK  seated  in  Mr.  Wright's  drawing- 
room  ;  Mr.  Wright  in  an  easy-chair  near  the 
window  ;  Mrs.  Wright — with  much  of  the  lustre 
gone  out  of  her  fine  eyes — lying  languidly  on  the 
sofa;  Madge  Mayland  at  work  on  some  incompre- 
hensible piece  of  netting  beside  her  aunt, — all  in 
deep  mourning. 

Uncle  Rik  has  just  opened  a  telegram,  at  which 
he  stares,  open  eyed  and  mouthed,  without  speak- 
ing, while  his  ruddy  cheeks  grow  pale. 

"  Not  bad  news,  I  trust,  brother,"  said  poor  Mrs. 
Wright,  to  whom  the  worst  news  had  been  con- 
veyed when  she  heard  of  the  wreck  of  the  Triton. 
Nothing  could  exceed  that,  she  felt,  in  bitterness. 

"  What  is  it,  Eik  ?"  said  Mr.  Wright,  anxiously. 

"  Oh  !  nothing — nothing.  That  is  to  say,  not  bad 
news,  certainly,  but  amazing  news.  Boh  !  I  'm  a 
fool." 

He  stopped  short  after  this  complimentary  asser- 


364  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

tion,  for  uncle  Eik  had  somewhere  read  or  heard 
that  joy  can  kill,  and  he  feared  to  become  au  ac- 
complice in  a  murder. 

"  Come,  Eik,  don't  keep  us  in  suspense,"  said  his 
brother,  rising  ;  "  something  has  happened." 

"  0  yes,  something  has  indeed  happened,"  cried 
Eik,  "  for  this  telegram  is  from  Sam  Shipton." 

"  Then  Eobin  is  alive  ! "  cried  Mrs.  Wright,  leap- 
ing up,  while  Madge  turned  perfectly  white. 

"  No — that  is  to  say — yes — it  may  be  so — of 
course  must  be  so — for, — bah  !  what  an  ass  I  am  ! 
Listen." 

He  x)roceeded  to  read  Sam's  telegram,  while  Mrs. 
Wright  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  and  sank 
trembling  on  the  sofa. 

The  telegram  having  suffered  rather  severe  muti- 
lation at  the  hands  of  the  foreigners  by  whom  it 
was  transmitted,  conveyed  a  very  confusing  idea  of 
the  facts  that  were  intended,  but  the  puzzling  over 
it  by  the  whole  party,  and  the  gradual,  though  not 
perfect,  elucidation  of  its  meaning,  had  perhaps  the 
effect  of  softening  the  joyful  intelligence  to  a  bear- 
able extent. 

"  Now,"  said  uncle  Eik,  while  the  perspiration  of 
mental  effort  and  anxiety  stood  on  his  bald  fore- 
head, "this  is  the  outcome  of  it  all.  Sam  clearly 
says  '  all  well,'  which  means,  of  course,  that  Eobin 
is  alive — thank  God  for  that.      Then  he  refers  to  a 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  365 

previous  telegram,  which,  of  course,  must  be  lost, 
for  it  hasn't  come  to  hand.  Bah  !  I  wonder  the 
nasty  things  ever  do  come  to  hand.  Anyhow,  that 
telegram  must  have  been  meant  to  announce  their 
safe  arrival  at  Bombay,  undoubtedly." 

"  Of  course — I  see  it  now,"  said  Mrs.  Wright,  with 
a  deep  sigh. 

"  Of  course,"  echoed  Eik.  "  Then  there 's  some 
queer  reference  to  a  ship  and  a  Fiery  Queen,  and  a 
Stamps  and  a  Shunks,  and  a  Gibson,  and  a  thief, 
and  three  bags,  and  the  port  of  Loudon,  which  of 
course  means  London,  and  a  public-house  named, 
apparently.  Torture — " 

"  Tartar,  I  think,  uncle,"  said  Madge. 

"Well,  Tartar  if  you  like,  it's  much  the  same 
if  you  catch  him.  And  it  winds  up  with  a  girl 
— which  is  not  surprisin' — who  is  to  be  expec- 
torated— " 

'  Expected,  surely,"  said  Madge,  with  a  rather 
hysterical  laugh,  for  the  conflicting  feelings  within 
her  tended  rather  to  tears. 

"  So  be  it,  Madge — expected,  with  an  unreadable 
name  beginning  with  an  L, — and  that 's  all ;  and  a 
pretty  penny  he  must  have  paid  to  send  us  such  a 
lot  o'  rubbish." 

"  It  has  brought  the  oil  of  gladness  to  our  hearts, 
brother,"  said  Mr.  Wright,  "  and  is  worth  its  cost. 
But,  now,  what  do  you  intend  to  do  ?" 


366  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Do !"  exclaimed  Eik,  who  was  never  happier  than 
when  he  could  explode  his  feelings  in  action.  "  I  '11 
go  this  moment  to  the  port  of  London,  find  out 
the  owners  of  the  Fiery  Queen,  make  particular 
inquiries  about  the  Stampses,  Shunkses,  and  Gibsons, 
visit  Torture  public-houses — though  they  're  all  that, 
more  or  less — and  see  if  I  can  hear  anything  about 
girls  to  be  expectorated,  with  names  beginning  with 
L.  There — these  are  my  sailing  directions,  so — up 
anchor  and  away  !" 

Uncle  Eik  immediately  obeyed  his  own  commands, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  that  day  in  what  he 
styled  cruising.  And  he  cruised  to  some  pur- 
pose, for  although  he  failed  to  obtain  any  informa- 
tion as  to  the  girl,  he  discovered  the  owners  of  the 
Fairy — not  Fiery — Queen,  who  said  that  she  was 
expected  home  in  a  few  weeks,  but  that  they  knew 
nothing  whatever  about  the  rather  remarkable  names 
which  he  submitted  for  their  consideration.  With 
this  amount  of  information  he  was  fain  to  rest 
content,  and  returned  in  an  elevated  state  of  mind 
to  his  brother's  house. 

Some  weeks  after  these  events,  the  Wright  family 
was  again  seated  round  the  social  board,  as  uncle 
Eik  called  it,  when  two  visitors  were  announced. 
The  social  meal  happening  to  be  tea,  and  the  draw- 
ing-room at  that  time  in  dishabille,  owing  to  carpet 
disturbances,   the   visitors   were    shown    into    the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  367 

dining-room — a  lady,  accompanied  by  a  pretty  little 
girl. 

"  Excuse  my  calling  at  an  unusual  hour,"  said  the 
lady,  "  but  I  trust  the  occasion  of  my  visit  will  be  a 
sufficient  excuse.  I  have  just  arrived  from  Bombay, 
and  hasten  to  present  a  letter  from  your  son,  and  to 
deliver  over  my  interesting  charge,  this  dear  child, 
Letta  Langley,  whom — " 

"  The  expectorated  girl !"  shouted  uncle  Eik, 
leaping  up,  "  begins  with  an  L, — two  L's  indeed. 
Bah,  I  'm  an  idiot !  Excuse  my  excitement,  madam 
— pray  go  on." 

Slightly  surprised,  but  more  amused,  the  lady 
went  on  to  tell  all  she  knew  about  Ptobin  and  his 
friends,  v/hile  the  happy  mother  read  snatches  of 
Eobin's  letter  through  her  tears,  and  Mr,  Wright  and 
Madge  plied  the  lady  with  questions  and  tea,  and 
Letta,  taking  at  once  to  uncle  Eik,  ecstatified,  amazed 
and  horrified  that  retired  sea-captain  with  her 
charming  earnest  little  ways,  her  wonderful  ex- 
periences, and  her  intimate  acquaintance  with 
pirates  and  their  habits. 

A  letter  from  Kobin  to  his  mother,  and  another 
from  Sam  to  Mr.  Wright,  arrived  next  morning,  and 
proved  to  be  those  which  had  been  written  imme- 
diately after  their  landing  at  Bombay,  and  had  been 
posted,  so  the  writers  thought,  at  the  time  their  first 
telegram  was  despatched.     But  the  letters  had  been 


368  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER, 

given  to  Stumps  to  post,  and  Stumps  was  not  blessed 
with  a  good  memory,  which  may  account  for  the 
delay  in  transmission.  These  letters  corroborated  all 
the  lady  had  said.  Thus  was  Letta  formally  installed 
in  the  Wright  family,  and  uncle  Rik  solemnly 
charged  himself  with  the  discovery  of  her  mother ! 

"  Depend  upon  it,  my  dear,"  he  said,  with  an 
amount  of  self-sufficient  assurance  and  indomitable 
resolution  that  carried  sweet  consolation  to  the  child's 
heart,  "  that  1 11  find  your  mother  if  she  's  above 
ground,  though  the  findin'  of  her  should  cost  me  the 
whole  of  my  fortune  and  the  remainder  of  my  life." 

And  nobly  did  Rik  redeem  his  promise.  He 
obtained  special  introduction  to  the  British  Museum, 
consulted  every  Directory  in  existence,  hunted  up 
every  widow  of  the  name  of  Langley  in  the  king- 
dom, and  found  the  right  one  at  last,  not  three  miles 
distant  from  his  own  door  in  London.  Captain  Rik, 
it  must  be  known,  had  a  room  in  London  furnished 
like  a  cabin,  which  he  was  wont  to  refer  to  as  his 
"ship"  and  his  "bunk,"  but  he  paid  that  retreat 
only  occasional  visits,  finding  it  more  agreeable  to 
live  with  his  brother. 

It  was  a  fine  Sabbath  morning  when  Rik  took 
Letta's  hand  and  led  her  into  the  presence  of  her 
mother.  He  would  not  let  himself  be  announced, 
but  pushed  the  child  into  the  drawing-room  and 
sliut  the  door. 


TIIP]  BATTEKY  AND  TIIK  BOILER.  369 

With  similar  delicacy  of  feeling  we  now  draw  a 
curtain  over  the  meeting  of  the  mother  and  the 
long-lost  child. 

"  It 's  almost  too  much  for  me,  tough  old  sea-dog 
though  I  am,  this  perpetual  cruisin'  about  after 
strange  runaway  craft,"  said  uncle  Eik,  as  he  and. 
Letta  walked  hand  in  hand  along  the  streets  one 
day  some  weeks  later.  "  Here  have  I  been  beatiu' 
about  for  I  don't  know  how  long,  and  I  'm  only  in 
the  middle  of  it  yet.  We  expect  the  Fairy  Queen 
in  port  to-night  or  to-morrow." 

"  But  you  won't  hurt  poor  Stumps  when  you 
catch  him,  will  you  ?"  pleaded  Letta,  looking  ear- 
nestly up  into  her  companion's  jovial  face.  "  He  was 
very  nice  and  kind  to  me,  you  know,  on  Pirate 
Island." 

"  Ko,  I  '11  not  hurt  him,  little  old  woman,"  said 
Eik.  "  Indeed,  I  don't  know  yet  for  certain  that 
Stumps  is  a  thief ;  it  may  be  Shunks  or  it  may  be 
Gibson,  you  see,  who  is  the  thief.  However,  we  '11 
find  out  before  long.  Now  then,  good-bye,  I  '11  be 
back  soon." 

He  shook  hands  with  Letta  at  Mr.  .Wright's  house, 
she  and  her  mother  having  agreed  to  reside  there 
until  Eobin's  return  home. 

Wending  his  way   through  the  streets  until  he 
reached  one  of  the  great  arteries  of  the  metropolis, 
he  go^  into  a  'bus  and  soon  found  himself  on  the 
2  A 


370  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BdlLER. 

banks  of  the  Thames.  Arrived  at  the  docks,  one  of 
the  first  vessels  his  eyes  fell  on  was  the  Fairy  Queen. 

Goinij  on  board,  the  first  man  he  met  was  the 
captain,  to  whom  he  said,  touching  his  hat — 

"  Excuse  me,  captain  ;  may  I  ask  if  you  have  a 
nan  in  your  crew  named  Stumps  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  no  such  name  on  my  books." 

"  Nor  one  named  Shuuks  ?" 

"  No,  not  even  Shunks,"  replied  the  captain,  with 
a  sternly-humorous  look,  as  if  he  thought  the  visitor 
were  jesting. 

"  Nor  Gibson  ?"  continued  Eik. 

"  Yes,  I've  got  one  named  Gibson,  What  d'  ye 
want  with  him  ? " 

"Well,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  is — or 
was — a  friend  of  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  should  like 
to  see  him." 

"  Oh !  indeed,"  responded  the  captain,  regarding 
his  visitor  with  a  doubtful  look.  "  Well,  Gibson 
has  just  got  leave  to  go  ashore,  and  I  heard  him 
say  to  one  of  his  mates  he  was  going  to  the  Tartar 
public-house,  so  you  '11  see  him  there,  probably,  for 
he  is  not  invisible  or'narily.  But  I  don't  know 
where  the  Tartar  is." 

"  But  I  know,"  returned  Captain  Eik ;  "  thank 
you.     I  '11  go  seek  him  there." 

Stumps  sat  alone  in  one  of  the  boxes  of  the 
Tartar  public-house,  which  at  that  hour  chanced  to 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  371 

he  nearly  empty.  His  face  was  buried  in  his  hands, 
and  a  pot  of  untasted  beer  stood  at  liis  elbow. 
Poor  Stumps !  Conscience  had  been  remarkably 
busy  with  him  on  the  voyage  home.  He  would 
have  given  worlds  to  have  got  back  to  Bombay, 
return  the  ill-gotten  bags,  and  confess  his  guilt,  but 
it  was  too  late — too  late  ! 

There  is  something  very  awful  in  these  words,  too 
late !  We  read  of  and  hear  them  often,  and  we  use 
them  sometimes,  lightly  it  may  be,  but  it  is  only 
when  they  can  be  used  by  ourselves  with  reference 
to  something  very  serious,  that  we  have  a  glimmer- 
ing of  their  terrible  significance.  There  is  a  proverb, 
"  It  is  never  too  late  to  mend,"  which  is  misleading. 
When  the  dream  of  life  is  over,  and  the  doom  is 
fixed,  it  is  too  late  to  mend.  No  doubt  the  proverb 
is  meant  to  refer  to  our  condition  while  this  life 
lasts,  but  even  here  it  is  misleading.  When  the 
murderer  withdraws  the  knife  and  gazes,  it  may 
be,  horror-struck  at  the  expressionless  face  of  his 
victim,  it  is  too  late.  He  cannot  mend  the  severed 
thread  of  life.  When  the  reckless  drunkard  draws 
near  the  end  of  his  career,  and  looks  in  the  mirror, 
and  starts  to  see  the  wreck  of  his  former  self,  it  is 
too  late.  Health  will  never  more  return.  ISTot  too 
late,  blessed  be  God,  for  the  salvation  of  the  soul, 
but  too  late  for  the  recovery  of  all  that  was  held 
dear  in  the  life  of  earth. 


372  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Yes,  Stumps  had  many  a  time  while  on  the  sea 
muttered  to  himself,  "  Too  late  !  "  He  did  so  once 
again  in  that  low  public- house  near  the  docks. 
Uncle  Eik  overheard  him,  and  a  feeling  of  profound 
pity  arose  within  him. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  he  said,  and  at  the  first  word 
Stumps  looked  quickly,  almost  fiercely,  up,  "your 
name,  I  believe,  is  Gibson." 

"  No,  it  isn't — I,  that  is  to  say — Well,  yes  it  is. 
Sailors  has  got  aliases,  you  know,  sometimes. 
What  d'  ye  want  wi'  me  ?  " 

"You  were  acquainted  in  Bombay,"  resumed 
Captain  Wright,  very  quietly,  as  he  sat  down 
opposite  to  Stumps,  "  with  a  young  man  named 
Wright— Eobin  Wright  ? " 

Stumps's  face  became  deadly  pale. 

"Ah!  I  see  you  were,"  resumed  the  captain; 
"  and  you  and  he  had  something  to  do,  now,  with 
bags  of  some  sort  ? " 

The  captain  was,  as  the  reader  knows,  pro- 
foundly ignorant  of  everything  connected  with  the 
bags  except  their  existence,  but  he  had  his  sus- 
picions, and  thought  this  a  rather  knowing  way  of 
inducing  Stumps  to  commit  himself.  His  surprise, 
then,  may  be  imagined  when  Stumps,  instead  of 
replying,  leaped  up  and  dashed  wildly  out  of  the 
room,  overturning  the  pot  of  beer  upon  Captain 
Elk's  legs. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  373 

Stumps  shot  like  an  arrow  past  the  landlord,  a 
retired  pugilist,  who  chanced  to  be  in  the  doorway. 
Captain  Eik,  recovering,  darted  after  him,  but  was 
arrested  by  the  landlord. 

"  Not  quite  so  fast,  old  genl'man  !  As  you  've 
had  some  of  your  mate's  beer,  you  'd  better  pay  for 
it." 

^'  Let  me  go  ! — stop  him  ! "  cried  the  captain, 
struggling. 

As  well  might  he  have  struggled  in  the  grasp  of 
Hercules.  His  reason  asserted  itself  the  instant  the 
fugitive  was  out  of  sight.  He  silently  paid  for  the 
beer,  went  back  to  the  Fairy  Queen  to  inform  the 
captain  that  his  man  Gibson  was  a  thief — to  which 
the  captain  replied  that  it  was  very  probable,  but  that 
it  was  no  business  of  his — and  then  wandered  sadly 
back  to  tell  the  Wright  family  how  Gibson,  alias 
Stumps,  alias  Shunks,  had  been  found  and  lost. 


374  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTEE    XXX. 

THK  WRIGHT   FAMILY    REUNITED.    AND   SAM   BECOMES   HIGHLY 
ELECTRICAL. 

That  much-abused  and  oft-neglected  meal  called 
tea  had  always  been  a  scene  of  great  festivity  and 
good-fellowship  in  the  Wright  family.  Circum- 
stances, uncontrollable  of  course,  had  from  the 
beginning  necessitated  a  dinner  at  one  o'clock,  so 
that  they  assembled  round  the  family  board  at  six 
each  evening,  in  a  hungry  and  happy  frame  of  body 
and  mind  (which  late  diners  would  envy  if  they 
understood  it),  with  the  prospect  of  an  evening — not 
bed — before  them. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  family,  the  meal  had 
been,  so  to  speak,  a  riotous  one,  for  both  Eobin 
and  Madge  had  uncontrollable  spirits,  with  ten- 
dencies to  drop  spoons  on  the  floor,  and  overturn 
jugs  of  milk  on  the  table.  Later  on,  the  meal 
became  a  jolly  one,  and,  still  later,  a  chatty  one — 
especially  after  uncle  Rik  and  cousin  Sam  began 
to  be  frequent  guests. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  375 

But  never  in  all  the  experience  of  the  family 
had  the  favourite  meal  been  so  jolly,  so  prolific  of 
spoony  and  porcelain  accidents,  so  chatty,  and  so 
generally  riotous,  as  it  was  on  a  certain  evening  in 
June  of  the  year  1870,  shortly  after  the  return 
home  of  Eobin  and  his  companions. 

Besides  the  original  Wright  family,  consisting  of 
father,  mother,  Eobin,  and  Madge,  there  were  assem- 
bled uncle  Eik,  Sam  Shipton,  Mrs.  Langley,  Letta, 
and — no — not  Jim  Slagg.  The  circle  was  unavoid- 
ably incomplete,  for  Jim  had  a  mother,  and  Jim  had 
said  with  indignant  emphasis,  "  did  they  suppose 
all  the  teas  an'  dinners  an'  suppers,  to  say  nothin' 
o'  breakfasts,  an'  messmates  an'  chums  an'  friends, 
crammed  and  jammed  into  one  enormous  mass  o' 
temptation,  would  indooce  him  to. delay  his  return 
to  that  old  lady  for  the  smallest  fraction  of  an 
hour  ? "  No,  Jim  Slagg  was  not  at  the  table,  but 
the  household  cat  was  under  it,  and  the  demoral- 
ising attentions  that  creature  received  on  that 
occasion  went  far  to  undo  the  careful  training  of 
previous  years. 

The  occasion  of  the  gathering  was  not  simple. 
It  was  compound.  First,  it  was  in  commemoration 
of  Eobin's  birthday  ;  second,  it  was  to  celebrate  the 
appointment  of  Sam  Shipton  to  an  influential  posi- 
tion on  the  electrical  staff  of  the  Telegraph  Con- 
struction   and  Maintenance   Company,  also  Sam's 


376  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

engagement  to  Marjory  Maylaud  ;  third,  to  cele- 
brate the  appointment  of  Eobin  Wright  to  a 
sufficiently  lucrative  and  hopeful  post  under  Sam  ; 
and,  lastly,  to  enjoy  the  passing  hour. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  said  uncle  Eik,  getting 
on  his  feet  with  some  difficulty,  when  the  tea, 
toast,  muffins,  eggs,  and  other  fare  had  blunted  the 
appetites,  "  I  rise  to  propose  the  toast  of  the  even- 
ing, and  mark  you,  I  don't  mean  to  use  any  butter 
with  this  toast  {Hear,  from  Sam)  unless  I  'm  egged 
on  {Oh  !)  to  do  it — so  I  charge  you  to  charge  your 
cups  with  tea,  since  we  're  not  allowed  grog  in  tliis 
tee-total  ship — though  I'm  free  to  confess  that  I 
go  in  with  you  there,  for  I  've  long  since  given  up 
the  use  o'  that  pernicious  though  pleasant  beverage, 
takin'  it  always  neat,  now,  in  the  form  of  cold 
water,  varied  occasionally  with  hot  tea  and  coffee. 
My  toast,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  is  Eob — (Eik 
put  his  hand  to  his  throat  to  ease  off  his  neck- 
tie) is  Eobin  Wright,  whom  I  've  known,  off  an'  on, 
as  a  babby,  boy,  an'  man,  almost  ever  since  that 
night — now  twenty  years  ago,  more  or  less — wlien 
he  was  launched  upon  the  sea  in  thunder,  lightning, 
and  in  rain.  I  've  known  him,  I  say — ever  since 
— off  an'  on — and  I  'm  bound  to  say  that — " 

The  captain  paused.  He  had  meant  to  be 
funny,  but  the  occasion  proved  too  much  for  liim. 

"  Bless  you,  Eobin,  my  lad,"  he  gasped,  suddenly 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  377 

stretching  his  large  hand  across  the  table  and 
grasping  that  of  his  nephew,  which  was  quickly- 
extended.  After  shaking  it  with  intense  vigour  he 
sat  promptly  down  and  blew  his  nose. 

The  thunders  of  applause  which  burst  from  Sam 
and  Mr.  Wright  were  joined  in  even  by  the  ladies, 
who,  in  the  excess  of  their  sympathy,  made  use  of 
knife-handles  and  spoons  with  such  manly  vigour 
that  several  pieces  of  crockery  went  "  by  the 
board,"  as  the  captain  himself  remarked,  and  the 
household  cat  became  positively  electrified  and 
negatively  mad,  inasmuch  as  it  was  repelled  by 
the  horrors  around,  and  denied  itself  the  remaining 
pleasure  of  the  tea-table  by  flying  wildly  from  the 
room. 

Of  course,  Eobin  attempted  a  reply,  but  was 
equally  unsuccessful  in  expressing  his  real  senti- 
ments, or  the  true  state  of  his  feelings,  but  uncle 
Piik  came  to  the  rescue  by  turning  sharply  on  Sam 
and  demanding — 

"  Do  you  really  mean  to  tell  me,  sir,  that,  after 
all  your  experience,  you  still  believe  in  telegraphs 
and  steamboats  ?" 

Sam  promptly  asserted  that  he  really  did  mean 
that. 

"  Of  course,"  returned  the  captain,  "  you  can't 
help  believing  in  their  existence — for  facts  are  facts 
— but  are  you  so  soft,  so  unphilosophical,  so  idiotical 


378  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

as  to  believe  in  their  continuance?  That's  the 
point,  lad — their  continuance.  Are  you  not  aware 
that,  in  course  o'  time,  rust  they  must — " 

"  An'  then  they  '11  bu'st,"  interpolated  Eobin. 

"  Hee  !  hee  !  ha  !"  giggled  Letta,  who,  during  all 
this  time,  had  been  gazing  with  sparkling  eyes  and 
parted  lips,  from  one  speaker  to  another,  utterly 
forgetful  of,  and  therefore  thoroughly  enjoying,  her 
own  existence. 

"  Yes,  then  they  '11  bu'st,"  repeated  Eik,  with  an 
approving  nod  at  Eobin  ;  "  you  're  right,  my  boy,  and 
the  sooner  they  do  it  the  better,  for  I  'm  quite  sick 
of  their  flashings  and  crashings." 

"  I  rather  suspect,  Sam,"  said  Mr.  Wright,  "  that 
the  gentlemen  with  whom  you  dined  the  other  day 
would  not  agree  with  uncle  Eik." 

"Whom  do  you  refer  to,  George?"  asked  Mrs. 
Wright. 

"  Has  he  not  yet  told  you  of  the  grand  '  inaugural 
fete,'  as  they  call  it,  that  was  given  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Pender,  chairman  of  the  Telegraph  Con- 
struction and  Maintenance  Company,  to  celebrate 
the  opening  of  direct  submarine  telegraphic  com- 
munication with  India  ?" 

"Not  a  word,"  replied  Mrs.  Wright,  looking  at 
Sam. 

"You  never  mentioned  it  to  me"  said  Madge, 
with  a  reproachful  glance  in  the  same  direction. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  379 

"  Because,  Madge,  we  have  been  so  busy  in 
talking  about  something  else,"  said  Sam,  "  that  I 
really  forgot  all  about  it." 

"Do  tell  us  about  it  now,"  said  Mrs.  Langley, 
who,  like  her  daughter,  had  been  listening  in  silence 
up  to  this  point. 

"  A  deal  o'  rubbish  was  spoken,  I  daresay,"  ob- 
served the  captain,  commencing  to  another  muffin, 
arid  demanding  more  tea. 

"  A  deal  of  something  was  spoken,  at  all  events," 
said  Sam,  "  and  what  is  more  to  the  point,  an  amazing 
deal  was  done.  Come,  before  speaking  about  it, 
let  me  propose  a  toast — Success  to  Batteries  and 
Boilers!" 

"  Amen  to  that !"  said  Eobin,  with  enthusiasm. 

"  If  they  deserve  it,"  said  the  captain,  with 
caution. 

The  toast  having  been  drunk  with  all  the  honours, 
Sam  began  by  saying  that  the  fete  was  a  great 
occasion,  and  included  brilliant  company. 

"  There  were  present,  of  course,"  he  said,  "  nearly 
all  the  great  electrical  and  engineering  lights  of  the 
day,  also  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge,  with  a  lot  of  aristocrats,  whom  it  is  not 
necessary  to  mention  in  the  presence  of  a  democratic 
sea-dog  like  uncle  Eik." 

"  Don't  yaw  about  to  defame  me,  but  keep  to 
your  course,  Sam." 


380  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  Well,  you  have  no  idea  what  an  amount  of 
interest  and  enthusiasm  the  affair  created.  You  all 
know,  of  course,  that  the  Indian  cable,  which  Eobin 
and  I  had  a  hand  in  laying,  is  now  connected  with 
the  lines  that  pass  between  Suez,  Alexandria,  Malta, 
Gibraltar,  Lisbon,  and  England  ;  and  the  company 
assembled  at  Mr.  Pender's  house  witnessed  the 
sending  of  the  first  messages  direct  from  London  to 
Bombay ;  and  how  long,  do  you  think,  it  took  to 
send  the  first  message,  and  receive  a  reply  ? — only 
five  minutes  !" 

"You  don't  mean  it,  Sam  I"  exclaimed  Eik,  getting 
excited,  in  spite  of  his  professed  unbelief. 

"Indeed  I  do,"  replied  Sam,  warming  with  his 
subject.  "  I  tell  you  the  sober  truth,  however  difficult 
it  may  be  for  you  to  believe  it.  You  may  see  it  in 
the  papers  of  the  24th  or  25th,  I  suppose.  Here  is 
my  note-book,  in  which  I  jotted  down  the  most 
interesting  points. 

"  The  proceedings  of  the  evening  were  opened  by 
the  managing  director  in  London  sending  a  telegram 
to  the  manager  at  Bombay. 

"'How  are  you  all?'  was  the  brief /rsiJ  telegram 
by  Sir  James  Anderson.  'All  well'  was  the 
briefer  Jlrst  reply  from  Bombay.  The  question 
fled  from  London  at  9.18  exactly — I  had  my  watch 
in  my  hand  at  the  time — and  the  answer  came  back 
at  9.23 — ^just  five  minutes.      I  can  tell  you  it  was 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  381 

hard  to  believe  that  the  whole  thing  was  not  a 
practical  joke.  In  fact,  the  message  and  reply  were 
almost  instantaneous,  the  live  minutes  being  chiefly 
occupied  in  manipulating  the  instruments  at  either 
end.  The  second  message  between  the  same  parties 
occupied  the  same  time.  After  that  Sir  Bartle 
Frere  sent  a  telegram  to  Sir  Seymour  Fitzgerald,  the 
Governor  of  Bombay,  as  follows  : — '  Sir  BojrtU  Frere 
'wishes  health  and  jprospcrity  to  all  old  friends  in 
Bomhay.'  This  was  received  by  the  Company's 
superintendent  at  Bombay,  and  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  its  receipt  sent  back  in  four  minutes  and 
tifty  seconds !  But  the  reply  from  the  Grovernor, 
*  Your  old  friend  returns  your  good  wishes,'  did  not 
come  to  us  for  thirty-six  minutes,  because  the  mes- 
sage had  to  be  sent  to  the  Governor's  house,  and  it 
found  his  Excellency  in  bed. 

"  Next,  a  message  was  sent  by  Lady  Mayo  in 
London  to  Lord  Mayo  at  Simla,  which,  with  the 
acknowledgment  of  it,  occupied  15  minutes  in  trans- 
mission. Of  course  time  was  lost  in  some  cases, 
because  the  persons  telegraphed  to  were  not  on  the 
spot  at  the  moment.  The  Prince  of  Wales  tele- 
graphed to  the  Viceroy  of  India,  '/  congratulate 
your  Excellency  on  England  and  hidia  being  notu 
connected  by  a  submarine  cable.  I  feel  assured  this 
grand  achievement  will  frove  of  immense  benefit  to 
the  welfare  of  the  Empire.     Its  success  is  thus  matter 


382  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

of  imperial  interest,'  which  telegram  passed  out, 
and  the  acknowledgment  of  its  receipt  in  India  was 
returned  to  London,  all  within  eleven  minutes,  but, 
as  in  the  former  case,  the  Viceroy  was  in  bed,  so  that 
his  reply  was  not  received  till  forty-five  minutes  had 
elapsed.  Had  the  Viceroy  been  at  the  Indian  end  of 
tlie  wire,  he  and  the  Prince  could  have  conversed 
at  an  average  rate  of  five  minutes  a  sentence. 

"  Many  other  messages  were  sent  to  and  fro," 
continued  Sam,  turning  over  the  leaves  of  his  note- 
book, "  not  only  from  London  to  India,  but  to  each 
of  the  intermediate  stations  on  the  cable  line,  so 
that  we  had  direct  intercourse  that  night  with 
the  King  of  Portugal,  the  Governors  of  Gibraltar, 
Malta,  and  Aden,  and  the  Khedive  of  Egypt.  But 
that  was  not  all.  We  put  the  old  and  the  new 
world  into  communication,  so  that  the  '  press  of 
India  sent  salam  to  the  press  of  America.'  Sir 
James  Anderson  also  telegraphed  to  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
Esq.,  the  father  of  submarine  telegraphy  in  my 
estimation  {Hear,  hear,  from  Eobin),  and  he  sent  a 
reply,  which  began,  '  Your  message  of  this  evening 
received  hy  me  before  five  o'clock  this  afternoon! 
Mark  that.  Captain  Eik,  the  message  received 
before  it  was  sent,  so  to  speak  ! " 

"  Ay,  ay,  lad — /  know — difference  of  longitude, 
— fire  away." 

"  Well,  I  have  fired  away  most  of  my  ammunition 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  388 

now,"  returned  Sam,  **  and  if  you  don't  haul  down 
your  colours,  it  must  be  because  you  have  nailed 
them  to  the  mast  and  are  blind  to  reason.  I  may 
add,  however,  that  the  Viceroy  of  India  sent  a 
telegram  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  to 
which  he  got  a  reply  in  seven  hours  and  forty 
minutes,  but  the  slowness  of  this  message  was 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  of  accidental  and  partly 
unavoidable  delay  in  transmission  both  in  Washing- 
ton and  London.  At  1.30  a.m.  of  the  24th  the  traffic 
of -the  line  became  pressing,  and  all  complimentary 
messages  ceased  with  one  from  Bombay,  which 
said,  '  Sun  just  risen  ;  delightfully  cool ;  raining.' " 

"Doesn't  it  seem  as  if  the  Baron  Monkhausen's 
tales  were  possible  after  all  ? "  remarked  Mrs.  Wright, 
looking  as  if  her  mind  had  got  slightly  confused. 

"  The  Baron's  tales  are  mere  child's-play,  mother," 
said  Eobin,  "  to  the  grand  facts  of  electricity." 

"  That 's  so,  Eobin,"  said  Sam,  still  turning  over 
the  leaves  of  his  note-book,  "and  we  had  some 
magnificent  experiments  or  illustrations  at  the  f^te, 
v/hich  go  far  to  prove  the  truth  of  your  remark — 
experiments  which  were  so  beautiful  that  they 
would  have  made  the  eyes  of  Letta  sparkle  even 
more  gorgeously  than  they  are  doing  at  present,  if 
she  had  seen  theiu." 

Letta  blushed,  returned  to  self-consciousness  for 
a   moment,  looked   down,  laughed,   looked    up    as 


384  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Sam  proceeded,  and  soon  again  forgot  herself  in  a 
fixed  and  earnest  gaze. 

"  The  two  telegraph  instruments  communicating 
with  India  and  America,  which  stood  on  two  tables, 
side  by  side,  in  Mr.  Pender's  house,  were  supplied 
by  two  batteries  in  the  basement  of  the  building. 
Eighty  cells  of  Daniel's  battery  were  used  upon  the 
Penzance  circuit  for  India,  and  100  cells  on  the 
Brest  circuit  for  America.  The  ordinary  water- 
pipes  of  the  house  served  to  connect  the  batteries 
with  the  earth,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  pump  their 
electricity  from  that  inexhaustible  reservoir," 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  electricity  had  to  be 
pumped  up  through  pipes  like  water,"  interrupted 
Mrs.  Wright,  on  whose  mild  countenance  a  complica- 
tion of  puzzled  expressions  was  gradually  gathering. 

"  It  is  not  so  pumped  up,"  said  Sam.  "  The  pipes 
were  used,  not  because  they  were  pipes,  but  because 
they  were  metal,  and  therefore  good  conductors," 

"But  you  haven't  told  us  about  the  beautiful 
experiments  yet,"  murmured  Letta,  a  little  im- 
patiently. 

"  I  'm  coming  to  them,  little  one,"  said  Sara. 
"  One  battery  exhibited  the  power  as  well  as  the 
beauty  of  that  mysterious  force  which  we  call 
electricity.  It  was  the  large  Grove  battery.  A 
current  passed  from  it  to  copper  wires,  in  a  certain 
manner,  produced  a  dazzling  green  light,  and  the 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  385 

copper  melted  like  wax.  With  silver  a  still 
brighter  and  purer  green  flame  was  the  result. 
With  platinum  an  intense  white  light  was  given 
off,  and  the  molten  metal  fell  in  globules  of  exceed- 
ing brilliancy.  With  iron  lovely  coruscations  were 
exhibited,  the  boiling  vapour  flying  and  burning  in 
all  directions ;  and  a  platinum  wire  three  feet  long 
was  in  an  instant  melted  into  thousands  of  minute 
globules.  All  this  showed  the  power  of  electricity 
to  produce  intense  heat  when  resistance  is  opposed 
to  its  passage." 

"  It  is  remarkably  human-like  in  that  respect," 
said  Captain  Kik,  in  an  under-tone. 

"  Then  its  power  to  produce  magnetism,"  con- 
tinued Sam,  "  was  shown  by  Lord  Lindsay's  huge 
electro-magnet.  This  magnet,  you  must  know,  is 
nothing  but  a  bit  of  ordinary  metal  until  it  is  elec- 
trified, when  it  becomes  a  most  powerful  magnet.  Buo 
the  instant  the  current  is  cut  off  from  it,  it  ceases 
to  be  a  magnet.  If  you  understood  much  about 
electricity,"  said  Sam,  looking  round  on  his  rapt 
audience,  "  I  might  tell  you  that  it  is  upon  this 
power  of  making  a  piece  of  iron  a  magnet  or  not 
at  pleasure  that  depend  the  Morse  and  Dign^ 
telegraph  instruments ;  but  as  you  don't  under- 
stand, I  won't  perplex  you  further.  Well,  v/hen 
a  piece  of  sheet  copper  was  passed  between  the 
poles  of  Lord   Lindsay's  giant  magnet,  it  was  as 

2  B 


386  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

difficult  to  move  as  if  it  had  been  sticking  in 
cheese  —  though  it  was  in  reality  touching 
nothing  ! — influenced  only  by  attraction.  ('  That 
beats  your  power  over  Sam,  Madge,'  whispered 
Eobin.  '  No  it  doesn't,'  whispered  Madge  in  reply.) 
Then,  one  most  beautiful  experiment  I  could  not 
hope  to  get  you  to  understand,  but  its  result  was, 
that  a  ten-gallon  glass  jar,  coated  inside  and  out 
with  perforated  squares  of  tinfoil,  was  filled  with 
tens  of  thousands  of  brilliant  sparks,  which  produced 
so  much  noise  as  completely  to  drown  the  voices 
of  those  who  described  the  experiment.  A  know- 
ledge of  these  and  other  deep  things,  and  of  the 
laws  that  govern  them,  has  enabled  Sir  William 
Thomson  and  Mr.  Cromwell  F.  Varley  to  expedite 
the  transmission  of  messages  through  very  long 
submarine  cables  in  an  enormous  degree.  Then 
the  aurora  borealis  was  illustrated  by  a  large  long 
exhausted  tube — " 

"  I  say,  Sam,"  interrupted  Eik,  "  don't  you  think 
there  's  just  a  possibility  of  our  becoming  a  large 
long-exhausted  company  if  you  don't  bring  this 
interesting  lecture  to  a  close  ?" 

"  Shame !  shame  !  uncle  Eik,"  cried  Eobin. 

As  the  rest  of  the  company  sided  with  him,  the 
captain  had  to  give  way,  and  Sam  went  on. 

"  I  won't  try  your  patience  much  longer ;  in 
fact  I  have  nearly  come  to  an  end.     In  this  long 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  387 

exhausted  tube,  ten  feet  in  length  and  three 
inches  in  diameter,  a  brilliant  and  beautiful 
crimson  stream  was  produced,  by  means  of  an 
induction  coil.  In  short,  the  occasion  and  the 
proceedings  altogether  made  it  the  most  interesting 
evening  I  have  ever  spent  in  my  life,  e — except — " 
Sam  paused  abruptly,  and  looked  at  Madge. 
Madge  blushed  and  looked  down  under  the  table, — 
presumably  for  the  cat, — and  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany burst  into  an  uproarious  fit  of  laughter,  in 
which  condition  we  will  leave  them  and  convey 
the  reader  to  a  very  different  though  not  less 
interestinii  scena 


388  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 


CHAPTEE   XXXI. 

DESCRIBES   A   HAPPY   HOME   AND   A   HAPPIER  MEETING. 

In  a  small  wayside  cottage  in  the  outskirts  of 
one  of  those  picturesque  villages  which  surround 
London,  an  old  woman  sat  at  the  head  of  a  small 
deal  table,  with  a  black  teapot,  a  brown  sugar-basin, 
a  yellow  milk  jug,  and  a  cracked  tea-cup  before  her. 

At  the  foot  of  the  same  table  sat  a  young  man, 
with  a  large  knife  in  one  hand,  a  huge  loaf  of 
bread  in  the  other,  and  a  mass  of  yellow  butter  in 
a  blue  plate  in  front  of  him. 

The  young  man  was  James  Slagg  ;  the  old  woman 
was  his  mother.  Jim  had  no  brothers  or  sisters, 
and  his  father  chanced  to  be  absent  at  market,  so 
he  had  the  "  old  lady  "  all  to  himself 

"  Well,  well,  Jim,"  said  Mrs.  Slagg,  with  a  loving 
look  at  her  son's  flushed  face,  "you've  told  me  a 
heap  o'  wonderful  tales  about  telegrumphs,  an' 
tigers,  an'  electrocity  an'  what  not.  If  you  was 
as  great  a  liar  as  you  was  used  to  be,  Jim,  I  tell  'ee 
plain,  lad,  I  wouldn't  believe  one  word  on  it.     But 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEli.  389 

you  're  a  better  boy  than  you  was,  Jim,  an'  I  do 
believe  you — indeed  I  do,  though  I  must  confess 
that  some  on  it  is  liard  to  swallow." 

"  Thank  'ee,  mother,"  said  Jim,  with  a  pleasant 
nod,  as  he  cut  an  enormous  slice  from  the  loaf, 
trowelled  upon  it  a  mass  of  the  yellow  butter,  and 
pushed  in  his  cup  for  more  tea. 

"  It  was  good  of  ye,  Jim,"  said  the  old  woman, 
"  to  leave  all  yer  fine  friends  and  come  straight 
away  here  to  see  your  mother." 

"  Good  o'  me  ! "  ejaculated  Jim,  with  his  mouth 
full — too  full  we  might  say — "  what  goodness  is 
there  in  a  feller  goin'  home,  eh  ?  Who  's  finer,  I 
should  like  to  know,  than  a  feller's  mother  ?" 

"  Well,  you  are  a  good  boy,  Jim,"  said  the  old 
woman,  glancing  at  a  superannuated  clock,  which 
told  of  the  moments  in  loud,  almost  absurd 
solemnity ;  "  but  if  you  don't  stop  talkin'  and  go 
on  wi'  your  eatin',  you  '11  lose  the  train." 

"  True,  mother.  Time  and  tide,  they  say,  wait 
for  no  man ;  but  trains  is  wuss  than  time  or  tide, 
they  won't  even  wait  for  a  woman." 

"  But  why  go  at  all  to-day,  Jim  ;  won't  to-morrow 
do?" 

"  No,  mother,  it  won't  do.  I  didn't  mean  to  tell 
*ee  till  I  came  back,  for  fear  it  should  be  a  mistake ; 
but  I  can't  keep  nothin'  from  you,  old  lady,  so  I 
may  as  well  case  my  mind  before  I  go.     The  fact 


390  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

is,  I  Ve  just  heard  of  the  whereabouts  of  John 
Shanks — Stumps,  you  know — my  old  mate,  that 
I've  told  you  bolted  with  all  our  treasure  from 
Bombay.  Ah  !  mother,  if  I  'd  only  brought  that 
treasure  home  wi'  me,  it 's  a  lady  you  'd  have  bin 
to-day.  I  had  all  sorts  o'  plans  for  you — a  coach 
an'  six  was — " 

"  Never  mind  your  plans,  Jim,  but  tell  me  about 
poor  Stumps." 

"  Well,  mother,  a  tramp  came  past  here,  an'  had 
a  bit  of  a  talk  wi'  me  yesterday.  You  know  I 
ginerally  have  a  bit  of  a  chat  wi'  tramps  now,  ever 
since  that  city  missionary— God  bless  him — pulled 
me  up  at  the  docks,  an'  began  talkin'  to  me  about 
my  soul.  Well,  that  tramp  came  here  early  this 
mornin',  sayin'  he  'd  bin  in  a  poor  woman's  house  in 
the  city,  where  there  was  a  man  dyin'  in  a  corner. 
While  he  was  talkin'  with  some  o'  the  people  there 
he  chanced  to  mention  my  name,  an'  observed  that 
the  dyin'  man  got  excited  when  he  heard  it,  and 
called  to  the  tramp  and  asked  him  about  me,  and 
then  begged  him,  for  love  and  for  money,  which  he 
offered  him,  to  come  and  fetch  me  to  him  as  fast  as 
he  could,  sayin'  that  his  name  was  Stumps,  and  he 
knew  me.  So,  you  see,  as  the  next  train  is  the 
first  that — you  needn't  look  at  the  clock  so  often, 
old  lady ;  it 's  full  ten  minutes  yet,  and  I  '11  back 
my  legs  to  do  it  in  three." 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER,  391 

"  Don't  forget  to  take  your  Bible  wi'  you,  dear 
boy." 

Jim  Slagg  rose  with  a  pleasant  nod,  slapped  the 
breast  of  his  coat,  on  which  the  oblong  form  of  a 
small  book  in  the  pocket  could  be  traced,  said 
"  Good-day,  mother,"  and  left  the  cottage. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  stood  in  the  dark 
passage  which  led  to  the  room  described  to  him  by 
the  tramp.  The  old  woman  who  rented  it  gave 
him  her  unasked  opinion  of  her  lodger  before 
admitting  him. 

"  You  've  got  no  notion,  sir,  what  a  strange 
character  that  young  man  is." 

"  0  yes,  I  have ;  let  me  see  liim,"  said  Slagg. 

"  But,  sir,"  continued  the  landlady,  detaining  him, 
"  you  must  be  careful,  for  he  ain't  hisself  quite. 
Not  that  he  's  ever  done  anythink  wiolent  to  me, 
poor  young  man,  but  he 's  strong  in  his  fits,  an'  he 
raves  terribly." 

"  Has  no  doctor  bin  to  see  him  ?"  asked  Slagg. 

"  No  ;  he  won't  let  me  send  for  one.  He  says 
it 's  o'  no  use,  an'  he  couldn't  afford  to  pay  for  one. 
An'  oh  !  you  've  no  notion  what  a  miser  that  poor 
young  man  is.  He  must  have  plenty  of  money,  for 
the  box  as  he  takes  it  out  on — an'  it's  at  his  head 
he  keeps  it  day  and  night,  ginerally  holdin'  it  with 
one  hand — seems  full  o'  money,  for  it 's  wonderful 
heavy.    I  could  see  that  when  he  brought  it  here. 


392  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

an'  there  's  no  clo'es  in  it,  that  I  can  see,  when  he 
opens  it,  to  get  at  the  few  pence  he  wants  now 
an'  again.  An'  he  starves  hisself,  an'  says  he  's  not 
fit  to  live,  an'  calls  hisself  sitch  aAvful  names,  an' — " 
"Well,  well,  show  me  his  room,"  said  Slagg,  with 
as  much  decision  in  his  tone  as  compelled  im- 
mediate obedience. 

In  the  corner  of  a  small  room,  on  a  truckle-bed, 
with  scant  bedding,  lay  the  emaciated  form  of  John 
Shanks,  alias  Stumps,  alias  James  Gibson.  He 
had  raised  himself  on  one  elbow,  and  was  gazing 
with  great  lustrous  invalid  eyes  at  the  door,  when 
his  old  comrade  entered,  for  he  had  been  watch- 
ing, and  heard  the  first  sound  of  footsteps  in  the 
passage. 

"  Oh  !  Jim  Slagg,"  he  cried,  extending  a  hand 
which  bore  strong  resemblance  to  a  claw,  it  was  so 
thin.  "Come  to  me,  Jim.  How  I've  wished  an' 
longed,  an' — " 

He  stopped  and  burst  into  tears,  for  he  was  very 
weak,  poor  fellow,  and  even  strong  men  weep  when 
their  strength  is  bronstht  low. 

"  Come  now.  Stumps,"  said  Slagg,  in  a  serious 
voice,  as  he  sat  down  on  the  bed,  put  an  arm  round 
his  old  comrade's  thin  shoulders,  and  made  hi  in  lie 
down,  "  if  you  go  to  excite  yourself  like  that,  I  '11— 
I'll — quit  the  room,  an'  I  won't  coiue  back  for  an 
hour  or  more." 


TIIFJ  BATTEIIY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  393 

"  No  !  0  no  ! "  exclaimed  the  sick  man,  clutchinfr 
Slagg's  arm  with  a  trembling  grip,  "  don't  leave  me, 
Jim— don't,  don't !  I  shall  die  if  you  do  !  I  'm 
dyin'  anyhow,  but  it  will  kill  me  quicker  if  you 
go." 

"Well,  I  won't  go.  There,  keep  quiet,  my  poor 
old  Stumps." 

"  Yes,  that 's  it — that 's  it— I  like  to  hear  the  old 
name,"  murmured  the  sick  man,  closing  his  eyes. 
"  Say  it  again,  Jim — say  it  again." 

"  Stumps,"  said  Slagg,  getting  down  on  his  knees, 
the  better  to  arrange  and  grasp  his  former  comrade, 
"  don't  be  a  fool  now,  but  listen.  I  have  come  to 
look  after  you,  so  make  your  mind  easy." 

"  But  I  've  been  such  a  beast  to  you,  Jim ;  it  was 
so  awful  shabby,"  cried  Stumps,  rousing  himself 
again,  "  and  I've  been  so  sorry  ever  since.  You  can't 
think  how  sorry.  I  have  repented,  Jim,  if  ever  a  man 
did.  An'  I'd  have  come  back  and  confessed  long 
ago,  if  I  'd  had  the  chance,  but  I  can  get  no  rest — 
no  peace.  I  've  never  spent  a  rap  of  it,  Jim,  except 
what  I  couldn't  help — for  you  know,  Jim,  body  an' 
soul  wouldn't  stick  together  without  a  little  o' 
suthin'  to  eat  an'  drink ;  an'  when  I  was  ill  - 1 
couldn't  work,  you  know.  See,  it's  all  here— all 
here — except  what  little — " 

He  stopped  abruptly,  having  raised  himself  to 
open    the   lid   of   the   box   at  his  elbow,  but  his 


394  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

strength  failed,  and  he  sank  on  the  pillow  with  a 
groan. 

"Stumps,"  said  Slagg,  "come,  old  boy,  you  an* 
me  will  have  a  bit  of  prayer  together." 

The  sick  man  opened  his  great  eyes  in  astonish- 
ment. It  was  so  unlike  his  old  friend's  brusque 
rollicking  character  to  propose  prayer,  that  he 
fancied  he  must  be  dreaming,  and  the  possibility  of 
the  visit  turning  out  unreal,  induced  an  expression 
of  distress  on  his  haggard  countenance.  On  being 
ordered,  however,  in  the  peremptory  and  familiar 
tones  of  former  days,  to  shut  his  eyes,  he  felt  re- 
assured and  became  calm,  while  his  friend  prayed 
for  him. 

It  was  not  a  set  or  formal  prayer  by  any  means. 
It  sounded  strangely  like  a  man  asking  a  friend,  in 
commonplace  terras,  but  very  earnestly,  to  give  him 
what  he  stood  in  great  need  of ;  and  what  Jim 
asked  for  was  the  salvation  of  his  friend's  soul  and 
his  restoration  to  health.  The  petition,  therefore, 
was  remarkably  brief,  yet  full  of  reverence,  for  Jim, 
though  naturally  blunt  and  straightforward,  felt 
that  he  was  addressing  the  great  and  blessed  God 
and  Saviour,  who  had  so  recently  rescued  his  own 
soul. 

After  saying  "  Amen ! "  which  the  sick  man 
echoed,  Slagg  pulled  out  his  Bible  and  read  through 
the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John's  gospel,  commenting 


THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILER.  395 

quietly  as  he  went  along,  while  his  comrade  listeucl 
with  intense  earnestness.  At  the  first  verse  Jim 
paused  and  said,  "  This  wasn't  written  to  holy  and 
sinless  men.  '  Let  not  your  heart  be  trouljled,' 
was  said  to  the  disciples,  one  o'  them  bein'  Peter, 
the  man  who  was  to  deny  Jesus  three  times  with 
oaths  and  curses,  and  then  forsake  Him.  The  Lord 
came  to  save  sinners.  It  would  be  a  poor  look-out 
for  you.  Stumps,  if  you  thought  yourself  a  good 
man." 

"  But  I  don't — oh  !  I  don't,  and  you  hioiu  I  don't!" 
exclaimed  the  sick  man  vehemently. 

"  Then  the  Lord  says,  '  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,'  and  tells  you  to  believe  in  God  and  Him- 
self." 

At  the  second  verse  Slagg  remarked  that  it 
would  be  a  sad  sad  thing  if  the  mansion  prepared, 
among  the  many  mansions,  for  his  friend  were  to 
be  left  empty. 

"  But  how  am  I  to  get  to  it,  Jim  ;  liow  am  I  ever 
to  find  the  way  ?  " 

"  Just  what  the  disciple  named  Thomas  asked — 
an'  he  was  a  very  doubting  follower  of  Jesus,  like 
too  many  of  us.  The  Master  said  to  him  what  He 
says  to  you  and  me,  '  /  am  the  way  and  the  truth 
and  the  life ;  no  one  cometh  unto  the  Father  but 
by  mc.'" 

At  the    ninth   verse    the    sailor  missionary   said, 


396  THE  BATTEKY  AND  THE  BOILEK. 

"  Jesus  is  God,  you  see,  so  we  're  safe  to  trust 
Him,"  and,  at  the  thirteenth  verse,  "  Whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  my  name  that  will  I  do,"  he  said.  "Now, 
we  have  asked  Jesus  to  save  you,  and  He  will  do  it, 
by  His  Holy  Spirit,  as  He  has  saved  me — has  saved 
millions  in  time  past,  and  will  save  millions  more  in 
time  to  come.  Why,  you  see,  in  the  sixteenth  verse 
He  tells  you  He  will, pray  the  Father  to  send  you  a 
Comforter,  who  will  stay  with  you  for  ever.  Has 
He  not  reason  then  for  heginnin'  with  '  let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled '  ?  And  that  same  Comforter, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  is  to  '  teach  us  all  things,'  so,  you 
see,  every  difficulty  is  taken  out  of  our  way.  '  Arise, 
let  us  go  hence.'  Now,  my  old  messmate,  I  have 
arisen.  Will  you  not  arise  and  go  with  me,  both  of 
us  looking  unto  Jesus  ?  " 

"  I  will — God  helping  me  !  "  cried  the  sick  man, 
literally  arising  from  his  couch  and  raising  both 
arms  to  lieaven. 

"  There,  now — thank  the  Lord  ;  but  you  must  lie 
down  again  and  keep  quiet,"  said  Jim,  gently  and 
kindly  forcing  his  friend  backward. 

Stumps  did  not  resist.  He  closed  his  eyes,  and 
the  restful  feeling  that  had  suddenly  arisen  in  his 
heart  when  he  said  the  momentous  words,  " /  will" 
coupled  with  exhaustion,  resulted  almost  instan- 
taneously in  a  quiet  slumber. 

"  When  did  he  eat  last?"  asked   Slagg  of  the  old 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  397 

woman,  in  a  low  voice,  for  he  had  been  taught,  or 
had  learned  intuitively,  that  few  things  are  more 
disheartening  in  a  sick-room  than  a  whisper, 

"  This  morning  he  brealcfasted  at  six,  but  it  was 
on'y  a  hap'orth  o'  bread  and  a  drink  o'  cold  water." 

"  And  how  dare  you  starve  your  lodger  in  that 
way  ? "  demanded  Slagg,  leading  the  astonished 
woman  into  the  passage  and  closing  the  door. 
"  Don't  you  know  that  starving  a  man  is  equal  to 
murdering  him,  and  that  you  '11  be  liable  to  be  hung 
if  he  dies  ?  There,  take  this  half-sov.  and  be  off  to 
the  nearest  shop,  an'  buy — let  me  see — sassengers 
and  steaks  and — oh,  yoiL  know  better  than  me  what 
a  sick  man  wants.  Get  along  with  you,  and  be 
back  sharp.  Stay  !  where  are  your  matches  ?  Ah  ! 
Any  coals  ?  Good,  now  away  with  you  and  fetch  a 
doctor  too,  else  I  '11  fetch  a  policeman,  you  bolster 
of  bones." 

Thus  ordered,  threatened,  and  adjured,  the  land- 
lady, half-amused,  and  more  than  half- frightened  at 
the  visitor's  gushing  energy,  hurried  from  the 
house,  while  Slagg  returned  to  the  miserable  room, 
and  did  his  best  to  render  it  less  miserable  by 
kindling  a  splendid  fire. 

It  is,  perhaps,  unnecessary  to  add,  that  a  break- 
fast soon  filled  that  room  with  delicious  odour,  such 
as  had  not  been  felt  in  that  lowly  neighbourhood 
for  many  years;  that  Stumps,  after   a   refreshing 


398  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

sleep,  partook  of  the  feast  with  relish ;  that  Jim 
Slagg  also  partook  of  it — of  most  of  it,  indeed — and 
enjoyed  it  to  the  full ;  that  the  old  landlady  was  in- 
vited to  "fall  to,"  and  did  fall  to  with  alacrity;  that  the 
domestic  cat  also  managed  to  fall  to,  surreptitiously, 
without  invitation,  and  not  the  less  enjoyably  on 
that  account ;  that  a  miserable  semi-featherless  but 
unconquerable  canary  in  a  cage  in  the  window 
took  care  that  it  was  not  forgotten ;  and  that  several 
street  boys,  smelling  the  viands  from  afar,  came 
round  the  outer  door,  became  clamorous,  and  were 
not  sent  empty  away. 

It  may,  however,  be  advisable  to  add,  that  Stumps 
did  not  die  ;  that  joy  of  heart,  good  feeding,  and 
— perhaps — the  doctor,  brought  him  round,  and 
that  he  afterwards  went  to  the  country  to  spend 
the  period  of  convalescence  in  the  cottage  by  the 
roadside,  with  Slagg's  mother. 


THE  Bi^TTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  399 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

IN   WHICH  THE   STORY   FINDS   A    "FAULT,"   AND   THE   ELECTRICAL 
CURRENT    ENDS. 

Now,  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that  mnn, 
in  his  present  state,  should  attain  to  full  satisfac- 
tion. He  may,  indeed  he  should,  attain  to  content- 
ment, but  as  long  as  there  are  higher  and  better 
things  within  his  reach,  he  must  of  necessity 
remain  in  some  degree  unsatisfied. 

Some  such  idea  must  have  been  passing  through 
Eobin  Wright's  brain  one  fine  morning,  as  he  slowly 
paced  the  deck  of  a  small  schooner  with  his  friend 
Sam  Shipton,  for  he  suddenly  broke  a  prolonged 
silence  with  the  following  remark  : — 

"  I  don't  know  how  it  is,  Sam,  but  although  I  am 
surrounded  with  everything  that  should  make  a 
fellow  happy,  I  'm — I  'm  not  happy.  In  fact,  I  'm 
as  miserable  as  it  is  possible  to  be  ! " 

"  Come  now,  Robin,  don't  exaggerate,"  said  Sam 
in  a  remonstrative  tone.  "  Hyperbole  is  very 
objectionable,  especially  in  young  men.  You  know 
that  if  you  were  tied  to  a  huge  gridiron  over  a  slow 


400  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

fire,  you  would  be  more  miserable  than  you  are  at 
present." 

Eobin  smiled  and  admitted  the  truth  of  this,  but 
nevertheless  reiterated  his  assertion  that  he  was 
decidedly  unhappy. 

This  conversation,  we  may  remark,  took  place  on 
board  of  Sam  Shipton's  yacht,  off  the  west  coast  of 
Scotland,  several  years  after  the  events  narrated  in 
the  previous  chapter. 

"Well,  now,  it  is  strange,"  said  Sam,  with  an 
earnestly  sympathetic  air  and  tone  of  voice,  but 
with  the  faintest  possible  twinkle  in  the  extreme 
corner  of  one  of  his  eyes.  "Let  me  see — everything, 
as  you  justly  remark,  ought  to  make  you  happy 
here.  The  weather,  to  begin  with — people  always 
begin  with  the  weather,  you  know — is  splendid, 
though  there  is  a  thundery  look  about  the  horizon 
to  the  west'ard.  Then  our  yacht,  the  Gleam,  is 
a  perfect  duck,  both  as  to  her  sea-going  and  sailing 
qualities,  and  Captain  James  Slagg  is  a  perfect 
seaman,  while  Stumps  is  a  superlative  steward  and 
cook.  Our  time  is  our  own,  and  the  world  before 
us  where  to  choose.  Then,  as  to  our  companion- 
ship, what  female  society  could  be  more  agreeable 
than  tliat  of  my  wife  Madge,  and  her  bosom  friend 
Letta,  who,  since  she  has  grown  up,  has  become 
one  of  the  most  'beautiful,  fascinating,  charming, — 
but  why  go  on,  when,  in  the  language  of  the  poet, 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEli.  401 

'adequate  words  is  wantin' ! '  And  Letta's  mother 
Ls  second  only  to  herself.  Then  as  to  the  men, 
could  there  be  found  anywhere  finer  fellows  than 
uncle  Eik  and  Ebenezer  Smith,  and  Frank  Hedley 
— to  say  nothing  of  myself  and  our  splendid  little 
boy  Sammy?  I  can't  understand  it,  Eobiii.  You  're 
not  ill,  are  you  ? " 

"  111 !  no.      Never  was  better  in  my  life." 

"  Well,  then,  what  is  it  ?  Be  confidential,  my 
boy.  The  witching  hour  of  sunrise  is  fitted  for 
confidential  communications.  You  're  not  in  love, 
are—" 

"  Hush,  Sam !  the  skylight  is  open.  Come 
forward  to  the  bows.     Yes,  Sam,  I  am  in  love." 

"  Well,  Robin,  I  can't  pretend  ignorance,  for  I 
know  it — at  least  I  have  seen  it." 

"  Seen  it ! "  echoed  Eobin,  "  how  is  that  ?  I  have 
never  by  word  or  look  given  the  slightest  indication 
to  any  one  of  the  state  of  my  feelings." 

"True,  Eobin,  as  regards  words,  but  there  are 
other  modes  of  indication,  as  must  be  well  known 
to  a  celebrated  electrician  like  yourself  The  fact 
is,  my  dear  boy,  that  you  and  Letta  have  been 
rubbing  your  intellects  together  for  so  many  years, 
that  you  have  electrified  each  other — the  one  posi- 
tively, the  other  negatively ;  and  even  a  Manx  cat 
with  an  absent  mind  and  no  tail  could  hardly  fail 
to  observe  the  telegraphic  communication  which 
2  C 


402  THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

you  have  established  by  means  of  that  admirable 
duplex  instrument,  a  pair  of  eyes." 

"  You  distress  me  very  much,  Sam,"  returned 
Eobin,  seriously.  "  I  assure  you  I  have  never  con- 
sciously done  anything  of  the  sort,  and  I  have 
never  opened  my  lips  to  Letta  on  the  subject — 
I  dare  not." 

"  I  believe  you  as  to  your  consciousness  ;  but,  to 
be  serious,  Eobin,  why  should  being  in  love  make 
you  miserable  ? " 

"  Because  it  makes  me  doubt  whether  Letta  cares 
for  me." 

"  Nonsense,  Eobin.  Take  my  advice,  put  an  end 
to  your  doubts,  and  make  sure  of  your  ground  by 
taking  heart  and  proposing  to  Letta." 

"  I  dare  not,  Sam.  It  is  all  very  well  for  a  line 
manly  fellow  like  you  to  give  such  advice,  but  I  am 
such  a  poor,  miserable  sort  of —  " 

"Hallo,  fasser!"  cried  a  merry  voice  at  that 
moment,  "how  red  de  sun  am  !" 

The  owner  of  the  voice — a  mere  chip  of  a  child, 
in  perfect  miniature  middy  costume — ran  up  to  its 
father  and  was  hoisted  on  his  shoulder. 

"Yes,  the  sun  is  very  red,  like  your  own  face, 
Sammy,  my  boy,  to  say  nothing  of  cousin  Eobin's. 
Where  is  mamma  ?" 

The  question  was  answered  by  mamma  herself,  our 
old  friend  Mudge  Mayland,  coming  up  the  com- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEK.  403 

panioii  hatch, — tall,  dark,  beautiful,  like  the  spirit 
of  departed  night.  She  was  followed  by  Letta, — 
graceful,  fair,  sunny,  like  the  spirit  of  the  coming 
morn. 

"Sunbeam,  ahoy!"  came  up  through  the  cabin 
skylight  at  that  moment,  like  the  sonorous  voice  of 
Neptune. 

"  Well,  grunkle  Eik,  w'atis  it  ?"  shouted  Sammy, 
in  silvery  tones,  from  his  father's  shoulder. 

"Grunkle"  was  the  outcome  of  various  efforts  made 
to  teach  Sammy  to  call  the  old  captain  grand- 
uncle. 

"Where  have  you  stowed  away  my  hair- brush, 
you  rascal  ?"  cried  the  voice  of  thunder. 

"  It 's  under  my  bunk,  grunkle  ;  I  was  bracking 
yous  boots  vith  it." 

The  thunder  subsided  in  tempestuous  mutterings, 
and  Sammy,  feeling  that  he  had  begun  the  day  well, 
struggled  out  of  his  father's  arms  and  went  career- 
ing round  the  deck  into  every  possible  position  of 
danger.  He  kept  them  all  lively  until  Stumps 
caught  him  and  extinguished  him,  for  a  time,  with 
breakfast. 

"  Uncle  Eik,"  said  Sam,  while  that  meal  was 
being  discussed  in  the  snuggest  little  cabin  that 
could  be  imagined,  "  did  you  hear  of  the  extra- 
ordinary manner  in  which  a  whale  was  caught  by 
a  telegraph  cable  lately  ?" 


404  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  No,  I  didn't,  Sam,  an'  what 's  more,  I  wouldn't 
believe  it  if  I  did." 

"  It  is  true,  nevertheless,"  said  Sam,  breaking  his 
fifth  egg — sea  breezes  being  appetising. 

"How  did  it  happen,  Sam  ?"  asked  Madge. 

"In  a  very  curious  manner,  Madge.  It  will 
amuse  Letta,  for  I  knew  she  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  cables." 

"  Indeed  it  will,"  said  Letta,  who  was  the  soul  of 
earnest  simplicity  ;  "  I  delight  in  electric  cables." 

Eobin  looked  at  Letta,  and  wished  that  he  were 
an  electric  cable ! 

"It  happened  to  the  Persian  Gulf  cable,  quite 
recently,"  continued  Sam,  addressing  himself  to 
Letta.  "  The  cable  between  Kurrachee  and  Gwadur, 
a  distance  of  300  miles,  suddenly  failed  one  evening 
Now,  you  must  know  that  electrical  science  has 
advanced  with  such  rapid  strides  of  late,  that  we 
have  the  power  to  discover  pretty  nearly  the  exact 
position  of  a  fault  in  a  cable.  Of  course  I  cannot 
expect  a  young  lady  to  understand  the  technical 
details  of  the  mode  in  which  this  is  done,  but  you 
will  understand  that  by  tests  taken  at  either  end 
the  damage  appeared  to  be  about  118  miles  from 
Kurrachee,  and  a  telegraph  steamer  was  sent  with 
an  electrical  and  engineering  staff  to  repair  it. 
The  steamer  reached  the  supposed  locality  early  on 
the  morning  of  the  second  day  out,  and  proceeded 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  405 

at  once  to  grapple  for  the  cable,  though  a  thick  fog 
prevailed  at  the  time,  and  a  heavy  sea  was  running. 
The  soundings  at  the  place  were  very  irregular, 
implying  a  rugged  bottom  of  submarine  mountain 
tops  and  valleys.  On  winding  in  the  cable  unusual 
resistance  was  experienced,  as  if  it  were  foul  of 
rocks,  and  when,  after  great  difBculty,  they  drew  it 
up  they  found  that  this  was  caused  by  the  body  of 
an  immense  whale,  with  two  and  a  half  turns  of  the 
cable  round  it  immediately  above  the  tail." 

"Pooh!  boh!"  exclaimed  uncle  Eik,  "I  don't 
believe  it." 

"  But  I  do,  uncle,"  returned  Sam,  as  he  opened 
his  sixth  egg,  "  for  I  read  the  account  of  it  in 
one  of  the  engineering  journals,  in  which  dates  and 
names  were  given  The  steamer  was  the  Amber 
Witch,  commanded  by  Captain  Bishop,  and  the  staff 
of  operators  were  under  Mr.  Harry  Mance.  The 
body  of  the  huge  creature  was  found  to  be  rapidly 
decomposing,  the  jaws  falling  away  as  it  reached 
the  surface,  and  sharks  had  evidently  been  devour- 
ing it.  The  tail,  which  measured  twelve  feet  across, 
was  covered  with  barnacles  at  the  extremities." 

"But  how  could  it  have  entangled  itself  so?" 
asked  Mrs.  Langley. 

"They  suppose  that  at  the  time  the  whale  had 
found  a  part  of  the  cable  hanging  in  a  deep  loop 
over  a  submarine  precipice,  and,  thinking  the  chance 


406  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

a  good  one  no  doubt  for  scraping  off  the  barnacles 
and  other  parasites  that  annoy  whales  very  much, 
had  probably  twisted  the  cable  round  him  with  a 
■flip  of  his  tail.  Anyhow,  the  fact  is  unquestionable 
that  it  held  him  fast  until  he  was  fished  up  dead  by 
the  electricians  and  engineers." 

"  How  strange  !"  murmured  Letta. 

"  It  is  indeed,"  responded  Eobin,  "  the  most  extra- 
ordinary case  I  ever  heard  of,  though  cables  are 
subject  to  many  singular  accidents.  I  remember 
one  case  of  accident  to  the  cable  across  the  river 
Yar,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  A  bullock  fell  from 
the  deck  of  a  vessel,  and,  in  its  struggles,  caught 
the  cable  and  broke  it." 

"  I  have  read  of  several  very  singular  cases,"  said 
Sam,  "  in  which  cables  have  been  attacked  and 
damaged  by  inhabitants  of  the  sea.  The  Cuba  and 
Florida  cable  was  once  damaged  by  the  bite  of  some 
large  fish,  and  a  similar  accident  happened  to  the 
China  cable.  In  the  Malta-Alexandria  cable,  a 
piece  of  the  core  from  which  the  sheathing  had  been 
worn  was  found  to  have  been  bitten  by  a  shark, 
and  pieces  of  the  teeth  were  found  sticking  in  the 
gutta-percha." 

"  I  thought  it  was  to  the  Singapore  cable  that  that 
happened,"  said  Eobiu. 

"  No,  but  something  similar  happened  to  it.  That 
cable   was   laid   in    December.      In  the   following 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE.  407 

Marcli  a  stoppage  occurred.  The  fault  was  spotted, 
at  200  miles  from  Singapore.  When  hauled  up, 
the  cable  was  found  to  have  been  pierced,  and  bits 
of  crushed  bone  were  sticking  in  the  hole.  The 
piece  was  cut  out  and  sent  to  Mr.  Frank  Buekland, 
who,  after  long  and  careful  examination,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  had  been  the  work  of  a 
saw-fish." 

"Dear  me,  Mr.  Shipton,"  said  Mrs.  Langley,  "you 
speak  as  if  every  part  of  the  world  were  connected 
by  electric  cables." 

"  And  such  is  the  case,"  said  Sam ;  "we  have  now 
direct  communication  by  submarine  cable  and  laud 
telegraph  with  every  part  of  Europe ;  with  Canada 
and  the  United  States ;  down  South  America,  nearly 
to  Cape  Horn  ;  with  Africa  from  Algiers  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  with  India  from  Afghanistan 
to  Ceylon  ;  with  China  from  Pekin  to  Hong-Kong  ; 
and  down  through  the  Malacca  Archipelago,  Aus- 
tralia, and  Tasmania." 

"I  say,  Sam,  are  you  a  member  of  the  Eoyal 
Geographical  Society,  or  a  walking  atlas?"  asked 
uncle  Eik. 

"In  short,"  continued  Sam,  not  heeding  the  in- 
terruption, "  there  isn't  a  civilised  quarter  of  the 
globe  which  is  not  tied  to  us  by  telegraph,  and 
from  which  we  might  not  hear  any  morning  of 
the  events  of  the  preceding  day." 


408  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILEE. 

"Always  excepting  Central  Africa  and  tlie  two 
poles,"  said  the  captain. 

"I  said  civilised  quarters,"  retorted  Sam,  "and, 
as  far  as  I  know,  the  poles  are  inhabited  only  by 
bears." 

"True,  I  forgot,  the  poles  are  barely  civilised," 
said  uncle  Eik. 

"Now,  Master  Sammy,"  growled  a  deep  voice 
from  the  adjoining  galley,  "you  keep  your  hands 
out  o'  that  copper." 

"Fasser,"  shouted  a  silvery  voice  from  the  same 
region,  "'Tumps  is  naughty.  I  wants  to  wass  my 
hands  in  de  soup,  an'  he  won't  let  me." 

"  Quite  right.  Keep  him  in  order,  Stumps,"  said 
the  unfeeling  Sam,  senior. 

"  Dere — pa  says  I 's  kite  right,  an'  to  keep  you 
in  order,  'Tumps,"  said  the  silvery  voice.  (Then, 
after  a  few  minutes),  "  Grunkle  Eik,  is  you  finish 
bekfist?" 

"  Ay,  ay,  Sunbeam,  quite  finished." 

"  Den  come  on  deck  an'  p'ay  vid  me." 

Uncle  Eik  rose  with  a  laugh,  and  obediently  went 
on  deck  to  play.  But  the  play  did  not  last  long, 
for  that  day  ominous  clouds  rose  in  the  west,  and, 
overspreading  the  sky,  soon  drenched  the  little 
yacht  with  rain.  Towards  evening  the  rain  ceased, 
but  the  wind  increased  to  a  gale,  and  the  weather 
showed  signs  of  becoming  what  is  known  among 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER,  409 

seamen,  we  believe,  as  dirty.  Ere  long  the  low 
mutierings  of  thunder  increased  to  mighty  peals, 
and  the  occasional  gleams  of  lightning  to  frequent 
and  vivid  flashes,  that  lit  up  the  scene  with  the 
brilliancy  of  full  moonlight. 

"  I  wish  we  were  nearer  shore,"  said  Letta, 
timidly,  to  Robin,  as  they  stood  looking  over  the 
bulwarks  ;  "  what  is  the  land  we  see  far  away  on 
our  left  ?" 

"  The  Island  of  Mull,"  returned  Robin. 

"  Better  if  it  was  further  away,"  growled  Captain 
Rik,  who  overheard  the  remark.  "  We  want  plenty 
of  sea-room  on  a  night  like  this." 

"We've  got  sea- room  enough,"  observed  "Cap- 
tain" Slagg,  with  the  confidence  of  a  man  who 
knows  well  what  he  is  about,  as  he  stood  by  the 
tiller,  balancing  himself  with  his  legs  well  apart. 

"  You  've  got  a  lightning  conductor  on  th'e  mast, 
of  course  ?"  observed  Captain  Rik  to  Sam, 

"No,"  replied  Sam. 

"Sam!"  exclaimed  the  captain  in  a  tone  of 
intense  surprise,  "  you,  of  all  men,  without  such  a 
safeguard." 

"Well,  uncle  Rik,"  replied  Sam  with  a  laugh, 
"  yachts  are  not  always  fitted  with  conductors. 
But  I  'm  not  so  bad  as  you  think  me.  I  had 
ordered  a  special  conductor  with  some  trifling 
novelties    of    construction    for   the   yacht,   but    it 


410  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

Avas  not  ready  when  we  started,  so  we  had  to  sail 
without  it.  However,  it  is  not  once  in  a  thousand 
times  that  a  vessel  is  struck  by  lightning." 

While  Sam  was  yet  speaking,  a  flash  of  lightning 
almost  blinded  them,  and  the  little  schooner  re- 
ceived a  shock  which  told  of  disaster.  Next 
moment  the  roar  of  reverberating  thunder  drowned 
the  crash  of  timber  as  the  topmast  went  overboard, 
carrying  the  bowsprit  and  its  gear  along  with  it. 

Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt,  but  the  schooner 
became  unmanageable,  owing  to  the  mass  of  wreck- 
age which  hung  to  her. 

Jim  Slagg,  seizing  an  axe,  sprang  to  the  side  to 
cut  this  away,  ably  seconded  by  all  the  men  on 
board,  but  before  it  could  be  accomplished  the 
Gleam  had  drifted  dangerously  near  to  the  rocks  on 
the  coast  of  Mull.  To  add  to  the  confusion,  the 
darkness  became  intense. 

Captain  Rik,  forgetting  or  ignoring  his  years,  had 
thrown  off  his  coat  and  was  working  like  a  hero 
with  the  rest.  The  ladies,  unable  to  remain  below, 
were  clinging  to  the  stern  rails,  Madge  holding  her 
little  boy  tightly  in  her  arms,  and  the  spray  dashing 
wildly  over  all. 

Another  moment  and  the  Gleam  struck  on  the 
rocks  with  tremendous  violence.  Only  by  the  light- 
ning could  they  see  the  wild  rocky  sliore  on  which 
they  had  drifted. 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  411 

Instinctively  each  member  of  the  little  crew  drew 
towards  those  nearest  and  dearest, 

"  Get  out  the  boat !"  shouted  Captain  Slagg ; 
but  the  men  could  not  obey,  for  a  heavy  sea  had 
anticipated  them,  and  the  little  dingy  was  already 
careering  shoreward,  bottom  up. 

The  next  wave  lifted  the  Gleam  like  a  cork,  and 
let  her  down  on  the  rocks  like  fifty-six  tons  of  lead. 
A  flash  of  lightning  revealed  for  a  moment  a  range 
of  frowning  cliffs,  as  if  to  add  horror  to  a  scene  that 
was  already  sufficiently  appalling.  Then  all  was 
again  dark  as  Erebus. 

In  a  frenzy  of  resolution  Captain  Eik  seized 
an  axe  with  the  view  of  extemporising  a  raft,  when 
the  Gleam  parted  amidships,  and  we  might  almost 
say  went  out,  leaving  her  crew  struggling  in  the  waves. 

Sam  had  seized  his  wife  with  his  strong  left  arm 
— he  happened  to  be  left-handed — and  buffeted 
the  waves  with  his  right.  Madge  held  on  to  Sammy 
with  the  power  of  maternal  love.  Sam  was  aware 
of  that,  and  felt  comparatively  at  ease  in  regard  to 
his  first-born. 

Eobin's  arm  had  been  round  Letta's  waist — 
unknown  to  himself  or  her ! — when  the  Gleam 
struck.  It  did  not  relax  when  he  felt  that  tliey 
were  afloat.  Frank  Hedley  gallantly  offered  to 
take  charge  of  Mrs.  Langley. 

Ebenezer  Smith,  being  unable  to  swim,  confessed 


412  THE  BA.TTEEY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

the  fact,  with  something  of  a  gasp,  to  Captain  Rik, 
who  considerately  told  him  never  to  mind. 

"  I  can  swim  for  both,"  he  said,  tying  a  piece  of 
rope-yarn  tight  round  his  waist,  for  he  had  long 
before  cast  off  coat,  vest,  and  braces ;  "  but  you 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself,  a  man  come  to 
your  time  o'  life,  an'  not  able  to  swim  !" 

"  But  I  never  lived  near  the  sea,  and  had  no  one 
to  teach  me,"  pleaded  Ebenezer  in  a  tremblingly 
apologetic  voice,  for  the  roar  of  united  wind,  waves, 
and  thunder  was  really  tremendous  even  to  those 
who  could  swim. 

"What  o' that?"  returned  Captain  Rik,  sternly. 
"  Was  there  no  river  or  pond  nigh  ?  Even  a  horse- 
trough  or  a  washing-tub  would  have  sufficed  to 
make  a  man  of  you.  As  for  teaching— what  teach- 
ing did  you  want  ?  Swimmin'  ain't  Latin  or  Greek  ! 
It  ain't  even  mathematics — only  aquatics.  All  the 
brute  beasts  swim — even  donkeys  swim  without 
teaching.  Boh  !  bah  !  There,  lay  hold  o'  me — so. 
Now,  mind,  if  you  try  to  take  me  round  the  neck 
with  your  two  arms  I  '11  plant  my  fist  on  the  bridge 
of  your  nose,  an'  let  you  go  to  Davy  Jones's  locker." 

A  flash  of  lightning  revealed  Captain  Rik's  face 
in  such  a  way  that  Ebenezer  Smith  resolved  to 
obey  him  to  the  letter. 

It  was  at  this  point  of  their  conversation  that  the 
Gleam  went  down — or  out — and  they  sank  with  a 


THE  BATTEEY  AND  THE  BOILEE,  413 

gurgle,  coming  up  next  moment,  however,  with  a 
gasp. 

Strange  to  say,  after  the  first  phmge  and  over- 
throw amid  the  boiHng  waves,  the  swimmers  found 
themselves  in  almost  still  water. 

"  You  'd  better  let  me  take  Sammy,  ma'am,"  said 
Captain  Slagg,  swimming  quietly  along.side  of 
Madge,  and  speaking  in  the  calm  tone  of  a  man 
taking  an  evening  stroll. 

''  Is  that  you,  Slagg  ?"  asked  Sam,  who  was  strik- 
ing out  vigorously. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is,"  said  Slagg.  "  You  've  no  need  to 
exert  yourself,  sir,  so  violently.  I  know  the  spot 
well.  We  've  bin  washed  clean  over  the  reef  by 
the  wave  that  sank  us,  into  a  sort  o'  nat'ral  harbour, 
an'  we  ain't  far  from  shore.  I  can  feel  bottom  now, 
sir,  which,  bein'  a  six-footer,  you  '11  touch  easy." 

"  So  I  do  !"  exclaimed  Sam,  letting  down  his  feet, 
"  Madge,  darling,  cheer  up,  we  've  got  soundings. 
Give  Sammy  to  Slagg.  There,  we  11  do  famously 
now." 

Only  those  who  have  been  for  a  few  moments  in 
deadly  peril  can  understand  the  feeling  of  intense 
relief  that  came  to  Sam  Shipton's  heart  when  he 
felt  his  toes  touch  ground  on  that  eventful  night. 
The  feeling  was  expressed  in  his  tone  of  voice  as 
he  asked  Slagg  whether  he  had  seen  any  of  the 
others. 


414  THE  BA.TTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  No,  sir,  I  ain't  seen  'em  for  want  o'  light,  but 
I  've  heerd  'em.  Stumps  is  splutterin'  behind  us  like 
a  grampus.  If  you  '11  hold  on  a  bit  an'  listen  you  '11 
hear  him.  He  's  a  bad  swimmer,  and  it 's  all  he  can 
do  to  save  hisself.  If  he  only  knowed  he  could 
reach  bottom  with  his  long  legs,  he  'd  find  it  easier. 
Not  quite  so  tight,  Sammy,  my  boy,  and  keep  off  the 
wind-pipe — so  ;  you  're  quite  safe,  my  lad.  As  for 
the  rest  of  'em,  sir,  they  all  swim  like  ducks  except 
Mr.  Ebbysneezer  Smith,  but  he 's  took  charge  on  by 
Cap  tin  Ptik,  so  you  may  keep  your  mind  easy. 
There's  a  bit  o'  flat  beach  hereabouts,  an'  no  sea 
inside  the  reef,  so  we'll  git  ashore  easy  enough — 
let 's  be  thankful" 

Jim  Slagg  was  right.  They  got  ashore  witliout 
difficulty,  and  they  were  thankful— profoundly  so — 
when  they  had  time  to  think  of  the  danger  they  had 
escaped. 

After  a  few  minutes'  rest  and  wringing  of  salt 
water  from  their  garments,  they  proceeded  inland  to 
search  for  shelter,  and  well  was  it  for  the  ship- 
wrecked party  that  the  captain  of  the  lost  yacht  was 
acquainted  with  the  lie  of  the  land,  for  it  was  a 
rugged  shore,  with  intermingled  fields  and  morasses, 
and  wooded  rocky  heights,  among  which  it  would 
have  been  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  thread  one's 
way  in  the  dark  without  severe  damage  to  the  shins. 
But  Jim  Slagg  led  them  to  a  cottage  not  far  from 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  415 

the  sea,  where  they  received  from  the  family 
resident  there  at  the  time  a  warm  and  hearty 
Scottish  welcome. 

It  is  not  uncommon,  we  suspect,  for  eccentric 
natures  to  undertake  the  most  important  matters 
at  the  most  unsuitable  times  and  in  the  most 
ridiculous  manners.  At  all  events  Eobin  Wright, 
while  stumbling  among  the  rocks  and  rugged  ground 
of  that  midnight  march  in  Mull,  dripping  wet  and 
with  the  elements  at  war  around  him,  conceived  the 
idea  of  declaring  his  unalterable,  not  to  say  unut- 
terable, attachment  to  Letta  Langiey,  who  leant 
heavily  on  the  arm  of  her  preserver.  But  Eobin 
was  intensely  sensitive.  He  shrank  from  the  idea 
(which  he  had  only  got  the  length  of  conceiving),  as 
if  it  had  been  a  suggestion  from  beneath.  It  would 
be  unfair,  mean,  contemptible,  he  thought,  to  take 
advantage  of  the  darkness  and  the  elemental  noise 
to  press  his  suit  at  such  a  time.  No,  he  would  wait 
till  the  morrow. 

He  did  wait  for  the  morrow.  Then  he  waited 
for  the  morrow  afterwards,  and  as  each  morrow 
passed  he  felt  that  more  morrows  must  come  and  go, 
for  it  was  quite  obvious  that  Letta  regarded  him 
only  as  a  brother. 

At  last,  unable  to  bear  it,  our  unhappy  hero 
suddenly  discovered  that  one  of  the  morrows  was 
the  last  of  his  leave  of  absence,  so  he  said  good-bye 


416  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

in  despair,  and  parted  from  his  companions,  who 
could  not  resist  the  genial  hospitality  of  their  new 
friends  in  the  cottage  on  the  west  of  Mull. 

Ten  days  later  Sam  got  a  letter  from  Eobin,  telling 
him  that  he  had  received  a  cable -telegram  from 
India,  from  their  friend  Eedpath,  offering  him  a 
good  situation  there,  and  that,  having  reached  the 
lowest  depths  of  despair,  he  had  resolved  to  accept 
it,  and  was  sorry  he  should  not  have  an  opportunity 
of  saying  good-bye,  as  he  was  urged  to  start  without 
a  day's  delay. 

Sam  was  staying  with  his  friends  at  the  Oban 
Hotel  at  the  time,  having  at  last  managed  to  tear 
himself  away  from  the  cottage  in  MulL 

He  instantly  ran  oat  and  telegraphed — 

"Don't  accept  on  any  account." 

Then  he  sought  Mrs.  Langley,  and  opened  Eobin'a 
case  to  her,  Mrs.  Langley  listened  with  a  smile 
of  intelligence,  and  soon  after  went  to  her  daughter's 
room,  the  window  of  which  commanded  a  splendid 
view  of  the  western  sea. 

"Letta,  dear,  are  you  moralising  or  meditating?" 

"  Both,  mamma." 

"  Well,  I  will  try  to  help  you,"  said  Mrs.  Langley, 
seating  herself  by  the  window.  "  By  the  way,  did 
you  hear  that  Mr,  Wright  has  been  offered  a  lucra- 
tive appointment  in  the  Telegraph  Department  of 
India,   and  is  going   off  at  once  ; — has  not   time 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  417 

even  to  say  good-bye  to  his  old  friend  Sam  Ship- 
ton?" 

Letta  turned  very  pale,  then  extremely  red,  then 
covered  her  face  with  both  hands  and  burst  into 
tears. 

"  So,  Letta,  you  love  him,"  said  her  mother,  gently. 
"Why  did  you  not  let  me  know  this  sooner?" 

"  Oh,  mamma !"  said  poor  Letta,  "  why  do  you  put 
it  so — so — suddenly,  I  don't  love  him — that  is — 
I  don't  know  that  I  love  him.  I  've  never  thought 
about  it  seriously.  He  has  never  opened  his  lips  to 
me  on  the  subject — and — and — " 

"  Letta,  dear,"  said  her  mother,  tenderly,  "  would 
you  wish  to  prevent  his  going  away  if  you  could  ? 
Open  your  heart  to  your  mother,  darling." 

Letta  laid  her  head  on  her  mother's  shoulder, 
but  spoke  not. 

A  few  minutes  later  Mrs.  Langley  went  to  Sam 
and  said — 

"  Eobin  must  not  go  to  India." 

Sam  instantly  went  by  the  shortest  conceivable 
route  to  London,  where  he  found  Eobin  in  his  room 
feverishly  packing  his  portmanteau,  and  said — 

"  Eobin,  you  must  not  go  to  India." 

From  that  text  he  preached  an  eloquent  lay- 
sermon,  which  he  wound  up  with  the  words, 
"  Now,  my  boy,  you  must  just  propose  to  her  at 
once." 

2  D 


418  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

"  But  I  can't,  Sam.  I  haven't  got  the  pluck,  I  'm 
such  a  miserable  sort  of  fellow — how  could  I  expect 
suck  a  creature  to  throw  herself  away  on  me? 
Besides,  it's  all  very  well  your  saying  you  have 
good  ground  for  believing  she  cares  for  me ;  but 
how  can  you  know  ?  Of  course  you  have  not  dared 
to  speak  to  her  ?" 

Eobin  looked  actually  fierce  at  the  bare  idea  of 
such  a  thing. 

"  No,  I  have  not  dared,"  said  Sam. 

"Well,  then.  It  is  merely  your  good-natured 
fancy.  No,  my  dear  fellow,  it  is  my  fate.  I  must 
bow  to  it.  And  I  know  that  if  I  were  to  wait  till  I 
see  her  again,  all  my  courage  would  have  oozed 
away — " 

"  But  I  don't  intend  that  you  shall  wait,  Robin," 
interrupted  Sam.  "  You  need  not  go  on  talking  so 
selfishly  about  yourself.  You  must  consider  the 
girl,  I  'm  not  going  to  stand  by  and  see  injustice 
done  to  her.  You  have  paid  marked  attention  to 
her,  and  are  bound  in  honour  to  lay  yourself  at  her 
feet,  even  at  the  risk  of  a  refusal." 

"  But  how,  Sam  ?     I  tell  you  if  I  wait—" 

"  Then  don't  wait, — telegraph." 

Eobin  gazed  at  his  friend  in  stupefied  amazement. 

"  What !  make  a  proposal  of  marriage  by  tele- 
graph ?" 

"  Even  so,  Robin.     You   began  life  with  elec- 


THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER.  419 

tricity,  so  it  is  quite  in  keeping  that  you  should 
begin  a  new  departure  in  life  with  it." 

Sam  rose,  sought  for  paper,  and  with  pencil  wrote 
as  follows : — 

"From   Mr.   E.  Wright,  London,  to  Miss  Letta 

Langley, Hotel,  Oban. — I  can  stand  it  no  longer. 

May  I  come  to  see  you?" 

Presenting  this  to  his  friend,  Sam  said,  "  May  I 
despatch  it?" 

Eobin  nodded,  smiled,  and  looked  foolish. 

An  hour  later  Mrs.  Langley,  sitting  beside  her 
daughter,  took  up  a  pen,  and  wrote  as  follows : — 

"  From  Miss  Letta  Langley,  Oban,  to  E.  Wright, 
London. — Yes." 

Presenting  this  to  her  daughter,  she  said,  "  May  I 
send  it?" 

Letta  once  more  covered  her  face  with  her  hands, 
and  blushed. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  our  hero's  fate  in  life, 
as  well  as  his  career,  was  decided  by  the  electric 
telegraph. 

But  the  best  of  it  was  that  Eobin  did  go  to  India 
after  all — as  if  to  do  despite  to  his  friends,  who  had 
said  he  must  not  go.  Moreover,  he  took  Letta 
with  him,  and  he  hunted  many  a  day  through  the 
jungles  of  that  land  in  company  with  his  friend 
Eedpath,  and  his  henchman  Flinn.  And,  long 
afterwards,  he  returned  to  England,  a  sturdy  middle- 


420  THE  BATTERY  AND  THE  BOILER. 

aged  man,  with  a  wife  whose  beauty  was  unabated 
because  it  consisted,  chiefly,  in  that  love  of  heart  to 
God  and  man  which  lends  never-fading  loveliness 
to  the  human  countenance. 

Awaiting  them  at  home  was  a  troop  of  little  ones 
— the  first  home-instalment  of  a  troop  of  lesser 
ones  who  accompanied  the  parent  stems.  All  ol 
these,  besides  being  gifted  with  galvanic  energy  and 
flashing  eyes,  were  impressed  with  the  strong  con- 
viction, strange  to  say,  that  batteries,  boilers,  and 
submarine  cables,  were  the  most  important  things 
in  the  whole  world,  and  the  only  subjects  worth 
being  played  at  by  reasonable  human  children. 


THE    END. 


FEINTED  BV  T.  AND  A.  CONSTABLK,  PRINTERS  TO  HER  MAJESTY. 
AT  THE  EDINBURGH  UNIVERSITY  PRES3. 


WORKS  BY  R.  M.  BALLANTYNE. 


"  In  his  tales  of  the  sea,  of  the  forest  and  the  flames,  and  in  all  that  he  writes,  there  is 
a  fidelity  to  nature  and  a  knowledge  of  many  paths  of  life  which  are  not  surpassed  by 
any  author  in  his  special  field  of  literature." — Morning  Post. 

Crown  Svo.    With  Illustrations,  Cs.  each. 

BLUE  LIGHTS;  Or,  Hot  Work  in  the  Soudan.  A  Tale 
of  Soldier  Life  in  several  of  its  Phases. 

"  An  exciting  story,  full  of  excellent  moral  lessons." — School  Board  Chronicle. 

"  We  heartily  recommend  'Blue  Lights.'" — Guardian. 

"The  soldier's  career  is  graphically  depicted,  and  the  story  is  every  way  a  good  one."  — 
Literary  Churchman. 

"There  is  plenty  of  stir  and  dash  in  the  story,  and  the  rough  soldiers  and  sailors  are 
sketched  in  with  a  ready  hand." — Manchester  Guardian. 

THE  FUGITIVES  ;  Or,  The  Tyrant  Queen  of  Madagascar. 

"There  is  plenty  of  adventure  in  the  shape  of  imprisonment  and  combats  with  men 
and  animals,  and  a  negro  and  a  sailor  between  them  supply  a  comic  element  of  the  best 
quality.  Everything  considered,  this  is  one  of  the  best  stories  even  Mr.  Ballantyne 
has  published. " — Academy. 

RED  ROONEY ;  Or,  the  Last  of  the  Crew. 

THE  ROVER  OF  THE  ANDES;  A  Tale  of  Adventure 
in  South  America. 

"We  commend  it  to  boys  fond  of  adventure  and  of  natui-al  phenomena  ;  a  very  fascin- 
ating book." — British  Quarterly  Review. 

"  An  admirable  boy's  story." — Scotsman. 

"  'The  Rover  of  the  Andes'  shows  that  Mr.  Ballantyne  has  lost  none  of  his  powers  of 
description  and  imagination." — Morning  Post. 

THE  YOUNG  TRAWLER ;  A  Story  of  Life  and  Death 
and  Rescvie  in  the  North  Sea. 
"Few  men  have  laboured  so  steadfastly  in  their  generation  to  provide  sound  wholesome 
fare  for  '  our  boys '  as  Mr.  Ballantyne,  and  the  '  Young  Trawler '  is  worthy  of  his  reputa- 
tion. It  is  not  a  whit  less  spirited  than  his  former  tales,  and  conveys  a  large  amount  of 
useful  information  on  a  highly  important  subject." — Academy. 

DUSTY  DIAMONDS,  CUT  AND  POLISHED;  A 

Tale  of  City-Arab  Life. 

THE    BATTERY    AND    THE    BOILER;    Or,   The 

Electrical  Adventures  of  a  Telegraph  Cable-Layer. 
"There  is  not  a  dull  page  in  it."— Scotsman. 
" The  interest  never  flags." — Academy. 

THE  GIANT  OF  THE  NORTH  ;  Or,  Pokings  Kound 

the  Pole. 

"Of  variety  of  perilous  adventures  and  peril,  ingeniously  surmounted,  there  Is  no 
lack." — Daily  News. 

THE  LONELY  ISLAND  ;  Or,  the  Eefuge  of  the  Mutineers. 

"Mr.  Ballantyne  weaves  the  romantic  episode  of  the  mutiny  of  the  'Bounty'  into  a 
most  effective  narrative."— Gj-apAie. 

POST  HASTE ;  A  Tale  of  Her  Majesty's  Mails. 

"The  book  should  find  a  place  in  every  boy's  library;  it  is  full  of  interest."— iecds 
Mercury. 


Works  hy  B.  M.  Ballantyne — continued. 


With  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  5s.  each. 

IN   THE   TRACK   OF  THE  TROOPS;    A  Tale  of 

Modern  War. 
"Mr.  Ballantyne  has  blended  with  the  incidents  of  war  on  the  Danube  a  story  of  per- 
sonal adventure  spiritedly  told." — Daily  News. 

THE   SETTLER   AND  THE  SAVAGE;  A  Tale  of 

Peace  and  War  in  South  Africa. 

"A  capital  story  of  South  African  life.  Mr.  Ballantyne,  through  the  medium  of  a 
thoroughly  manly  and  healthy  tale  of  sport  and  war,  frolic  and  danger,  full  of  stirring  yet 
not  exaggerated  scenes,  presents  a  sketch  of  a  very  important  period  of  the  early  history 
of  our  colony  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope." — Times. 

"  '  The  Settler  and  the  Savage'  is  one  of  Mr.  Ballantyne's  best  stories."— Athenceuni. 

UNDER  THE  WAVES  ;  Or,  Diving  in  Deep  Waters. 

"Mr.  Ballantyne  enlarges  the  already  gigantic  debt  due  to  him  by  the  young,  by  his 
'  Under  the  Waves,'  a  story  meant  to  illustrate  the  practice  and  peril  of  diving  in  deep 
water,  which  it  dees  in  not  only  an  interesting,  but  often  in  an  amusing  manner." — The 

Times. 

RIVERS  OF  ICE  ;  A  Tale  Illustrative  of  Alpine  Adventure 

and  Glacier  Action. 

"A  tale  brimful  of  interest  and  stirring  adventure." — Glasgow  Herald. 

THE  PIRATE  CITY;  An  Algerine  Tale. 

"The  story  is  told  with  Mr.  Ballantyne's  usual  felicity,  and,  as  it  is  plentifully  sprinkled 
with  horrors,  no  doubt  it  will  be  greatly  enjoyed  by  some  boys." — Atkenmum. 

BLACK  IVORY ;  A  Tale  of  Adventure  among  the  Slavers 

of  East  Africa. 

"This  is  a  captivating  story,  and  likely  to  do  good  withal,  with  incident  and  informa- 
tion, the  picturesque  and  the  practical,  adventure  and  pathetic  appeals,  skUfully  mingled 
for  a  good  purpose.    We  heartily  recommend  it." — Record. 

"  Boys  will  find  the  book  about  as  delightful  a  story  of  adventure  as  any  of  them  could 
possibly  desire." — Scotsman. 

THE   NORSEMEN    IN   THE   WEST;    Or,   America 

before  Columbus. 
"This  thoroughly  delightful  book  is  an  adaptation  of  the  Saga  of  Iceland,  and  also  of 
Mr,  Laing's  '  Heimskingla;  or  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  Norway,'  supplemented  by 
Mr.  Ballantyne's  own  experience  and  adventures  in  the  vtdlderness  of  America.  These 
ingredients  are  put  togetlier  with  the  skill  and  spirit  of  an  accomplished  story-teller ;  and 
the  result  is  a  book  that  cannot  possibly  be  laid  down  till  the  very  last  word  of  the  last 
line  has  been  read." — Ath.encev,m. 

THE  IRON  HORSE;  Or,  Life  on  the  Line.     A  Eailway 
Tale. 

"A  captivating  book  for  ho'^s."— Guardian. 

ERLING  THE  BOLD  ;  A  Tale  of  the  Norse  Sea  Kings. 

"A  capital  tale  of  the  Norse  Sea  Kings." — Times. 

"The  story  is  interesting  and  full  of  moving  incidents  by  flood  and  field,  and  it  will 
therefore  scarcely  fail  to  be  popular  among  lads. " — Scotsman. 

"  The  story  is  clearly  designed,  and  abounds  with  elements  of  romantic  interest ;  and 
the  Author's  illustrations  are  scarcely  less  vigorous  than  his  text." — Athenceum. 

FIGHTING   THE    FLAMES;  A  Tale  of  the  London 

Fire  Brigade. 
"Many  a  schoolboy  will  find  keen  enjoyment  in  the  perusal  of  '  Fighting  the  Flames,' 
and  assure  his  little  sisters  with  suitable  emphasis  that  Mr.  Ballantjme  is  'a  stunning 
good  story-teller." " — Atkenmum. 


Works  by  B.  M.  Ballantyne — continued. 


With  Illustrations.    Crown  8vo,  5s.  each. 

DEEP  DOWN  ;  A  Tale  of  the  Cornish  Mines. 

"Mr.  Ballantyne  always  accomplishes  in  a  creditable  manner  the  thing  that  he  intends  to 
do,  and  on  this  occasion  he  does  not  show  himself  lower  than  his  reputation." — Athenceum. 

•'  Sir.  Ballantyne's  book  will  not  fail  to  delight  boys,  for  it  is  full  of  deeds  of  daring  and 
of  '  hairbreadth  escapes.' " — Scotsman. 

"By  reading  Mr.  Ballantyne's  admirable  stoi-y  a  very  large  amount  of  knowledge  con- 
cerning Cornish  mines  may  be  acquired ;  whilst  from  the  fact  of  the  information  being 
given  in  the  form  of  a  connected  narrative,  it  is  not  likely  very  soon  to  be  forgotten.  .  . 
A  book  well  worthy  of  being  extensively  xea.d."— Mining  Journal. 

THE  FLOATING   LIGHT    OF    THE  GOODWIN 

SANDS. 

"To  enable  him  to  write  thus  Mr.  Ballantyne  lived  some  time  on  board  one  of  these 
vessels ;  and  though  we  cannot  profess  to  judge  from  the  same  standpoint,  he  seems  to 
have  caught  the  characters  admii'ably.  The  tale  will  be  especially  interesting  to  adventure- 
loving  boys." — Record. 

SHIFTING  WINDS;  A  Tough  Yarn. 

"This  capital  book,  'Shifting  Winds,'  is  not  a  tough  yam,  but  a  hearty,  vigorous, 
bracing  story,  fresh  with  the  pure  breezes,  and  sparkling  with  the  bright  waters  of  the 
everlasting  seas." — Athencexini. 

THE  LIGHTHOUSE;  Being  the  Story  of  a  Great  Fight 
between  Man  and  the  Sea. 

Extract  Letter  from  the  Secretary  of  Northern  Lighthouses. 

" .  .  .  .  They  (the  Commissionei's  of  Northern  Liglithouses)  have  been  so  much  pleased 
with  the  way  in  which  you  have  combined  the  fiction  of  a  tale  with  the  popular  but 
correct  account  of  the  building  of  the  Bell  Rock  Lighthouse,  that  they  think  it  would  be 
an  interesting  work  to  transmit  to  their  Lightkeepers,  and  I  have  therefore  to  request 
that  you  wiU  direct  your  publishers  to  transmit  to  me  —  copies. 

(Signed)  Alexr.  Cunningham." 

"Thoroughly  at  home  in  subjects  of  adventure,  the  Author  has  made  this,  like  all  his 
stories  for  boys,  smart  in  style,  thrilling  in  interest,  and  abounding  in  incidents  of  every 
kind." — Quiver. 

THE  LIFEBOAT  ;  A  Tale  of  our  Coast  Heroes. 

"Royal  National  Lifeboat  Institution. 
"  Dear  Sie, — I  am  directed  by  the  Committee  to  request  your  acceptance  of  the  ac- 
companying Photograph  of  a  Lifeboat  proceeding  off  to  a  wreck,  as  a  small  permanent 
acknowledgment  of  the  important  service  you  have  rendered  to  the  Lifeboat  cause  by 
your  very  interesting  work  entitled  '  The  Lifeboat :  a  tale  of  our  Coast'Heroes.'  I  remain, 
yours  faithfully,  (Signed)  "  Ricbaud  Lwffis,  Secretary." 

THE  GOLDEN  DREAM  ;  A  Tale  of  the  Diggings. 
RED  ERIC  ;  Or,  the  Whaler's  Last  Cruise. 

FREAKS    ON   THE    FELLS,   and    WHY   I    DID 

NOT  BECOME  A  SAILOR. 

THE  WILD  MAN  OF  THE  WEST. 
GASCOYNE  THE  SANDALWOOD  TRADER;  A 

Tale  of  the  Pacific. 
"It  is  full  of  cleverly  and  impressively  drawn  pictures  of  life  and  character  in  the 
Pacific,  and  has  as  much  of  the  sensational,  though  by  no  means  unnatural,  element  mixed 
and  mingled  with  it  as  to  excite  the  earnest  interest  and  absorb  the  closest  attention  of 
young  people  for  whom  it  is  chiefly  designed." — Caledonian  Mercury. 


witn  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo,  2s.  6d. 

BATTLES  WITH  THE  SEA;  Or,  Heroes  of  the  Life- 

boat  and  the  Rocket. 


With  numerous  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo,  2s. 

THE    KITTEN    PILGRIMS;    Or,   Great   Battles   and 

Grand  Victories. 
"  We  have  copied  the  title-page  of  this  amusing  and  instructive  quarto  for  little  folks. 
Nothing  further  is  necessary.    Mr.  Ballantyne  stands  at  the  head  of  all  our  children's 
story-tellers  facile  princeps." — Churchman. 


With  Illustrations.    Crown  Svo,  3s.  6d.  each. 
THE    MIDDY  AND   THE    MOORS. 

THE    PRAIRIE   CHIEF. 

LIFE    IN    THE    RED    BRIGADE; 

A  FIERY  TALE.     AND  FORT  DESOLATION ;  Or,  SOLITUDE  IN  THE 
WILDERNESS. 

THE    ISLAND   QUEEN. 

Ob,  DETHRONED  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER.     A  TALE  OF  THE  SOUTHERN 
HEMISPHERE. 

TWICE    BOUGHT; 
A  TALj;  OF  THE  OREGON  GOLD  FIELDS. 

THE  MADMAN  AND  THE  PIRATE. 

MY  DOGG  IE  AND  I. 

"Although  one  of  the  shortest,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  happiest  of  Mr.  Ballautyne's 
Successful  efforts." — Edinburgh  Daily  Review. 

PHILOSOPHER     JACK; 

A  TALE  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  SEAS. 

THE     RED     MAN'S     REVENGE. 

TALES    OF    ADVENTURE    ON    THE    SEA. 

TALES  OF  ADVENTURE  BY  FLOOD,  FIELD,  AND  MOUNTAIN. 

TALES  OF  ADVENTURE; 
Oe,  wild  work  in  strange  PLACES. 

TALES    OF    ADVENTURE    ON     THE    COAST. 
SIX     MONTHS     AT     THE     CAPE. 

LETTERS  TO  PERIWINKLE  FROM  SOUTH  AFRICA.    A  RECORD  OF 
PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  AND  ADVENTURE. 


PR 

B15b 

1882 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  364  751 


